Population structuresPopulation pyramids

World population is growing rapidly. Different countries have different population structures which can be shown using population pyramids.

Part of GeographyGlobal issues

Population pyramids

Population pyramids show the structure of a population:

  • the pyramid is split with one side for female and one side for male
  • each horizontal bar represents a different age group - youngest at the bottom, oldest at the top
  • the width of each bar shows the size of the population in each age group
  • the population in each age group can be shown as a percentage of total population or as the number of people
Image gallerySkip image gallerySlide 1 of 2, Population pyramid shows Kenya has a young population, Kenya population pyramid This pyramid has a very wide base. This means that there is a high proportion of young people. The top is quite narrow which means there are fewer people in the older age groups.