A study is conducted to describe the age-sex distribution of a certain country. According to national data, the population pyramid of the country has the shape shown below. Based on the population pyramid, which of the following is most likely true about this country and its population?

Question

A study is conducted to describe the age-sex distribution of a certain country.  According to national data, the population pyramid of the country has the shape shown below.  Based on the population pyramid, which of the following is most likely true about this country and its population?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

11ec160b_3714_e420_9249_d585efaeae8b_MD0001_00 A population pyramid displays the percentage of individuals in each age cohort to describe the current population profile, and to project how the population will increase/decrease in the future. Every population pyramid is unique, but most fit into one of three general categories. Expansive populations have high birth and mortality rates and short life expectancies. Therefore, they show a larger percentage of people in younger cohorts (ie, graph has a broad bottom and narrow top). These populations are young and growing, and their pyramids characterize many developing countries. Stationary populations have declining birth rates, low mortality rates, and long life expectancies. Therefore, they show a somewhat equal percentage of people in each age cohort (ie, graph has a somewhat rectangular shape). These populations are stable (ie, neither growing nor shrinking), and their pyramids are characteristic of many developed countries. Constrictive populations have significantly low birth and mortality rates and long life expectancies. Therefore, they show a smaller percentage of people in younger cohorts (ie, graph has a narrower bottom). These populations are shrinking, and their pyramids are characteristic of very advanced countries with a high level of literacy, easy access to birth control measures, and exceptional health and medical resources. In this question, the population pyramid has a narrow bottom, which represents a low birth rate, and a wide top, which represents a low mortality rate (Choices A and B). The percentage of people in each age cohort increases with age, with the greatest proportion of people in the age 70+ cohort (Choice E). This means that the population has a long life expectancy-a characteristic of old populations (Choice D). Because the percentage of people in the age 0-9 cohort (about 10% for both men and women) is lower than the percentage of people in the age 70+ cohort (about 20% for both men and women), the younger cohorts are not able to replace the older cohorts as they die off, leading to a reduction in the population (ie, population shrinks). This is a classic example of a constrictive pyramid. Educational objective: There are three types of population pyramids: expansive (ie, young and growing population; high birth and mortality rates), stationary (ie, stable population; declining birth rates and low mortality rates), and constrictive (ie, shrinking population; significantly low birth and mortality rates).

A Study Is Conducted to Describe the Age-Sex Distribution of a Certain