Population and Settlement Dynamics
What this domain tests
Population and settlement questions test your ability to interpret population pyramids, demographic data and settlement patterns, and to explain how birth rates, death rates, migration and site factors change places. You must calculate rates accurately and link population structure to social and economic needs.
Core rules and concepts
- Natural increase = birth rate − death rate (per 1,000); it excludes migration.
- Dependency ratio = (population aged 0–14 + population aged 65+) ÷ population aged 15–64 × 100.
- The demographic transition model links falling birth and death rates to stages of economic development, but it is a general model, not a prediction for every country.
- Settlement site factors include water supply, relief, defence, fertile land, bridging points and resources; situation factors include routes and trade.
Worked example
A country has 30 million aged 0–14, 8 million aged 65+, and 62 million aged 15–64. Dependent population = 30 + 8 = 38 million. Dependency ratio = 38 ÷ 62 × 100 = 61.3 dependants per 100 working-age people. This implies pressure on healthcare and schools, but also a potential labour supply if jobs exist. The reasoning is to add both dependent groups, divide by the working-age group, and multiply by 100.
Traps that cost marks
Do not include the working-age group in the numerator. Do not treat a high dependency ratio as automatically negative or positive. Do not confuse natural increase with total population change when migration is significant. In settlement answers, do not list site factors without linking them to why people chose that location.