demography

American  

[dih-mog-ruh-fee] / dɪˈmɒg rə fi /

noun

1. the science of vital and social statistics, as of the births, deaths, diseases, marriages, etc., of populations.

---

demography British  

/ dɪˈmɒɡrəfɪ /

noun

1. the scientific study of human populations, esp with reference to their size, structure, and distribution

---

demography Cultural  

1. The quantitative study of human populations. Demographers study subjects such as the geographical distribution of people, birth and death rates, socioeconomic status, and age and sex distributions in order to identify the influences on population growth, structure, and development.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• demographist
  noun
• demographer
  noun

Etymology

Origin of demography

First recorded in 1875–80; demo- + -graphy

Explanation

Do you know the population growth rate of your city? The education levels of everyone on your block? Then you're a fan of demography, the branch of sociology that studies human behavior by analyzing statistical information. The word demography comes from two ancient Greek words, demos, meaning "the people," and graphy, meaning "writing about or recording something" — so literally demography means "writing about the people." Like many branches of the sciences, demography began in the 19th century, when the general craze for cataloging information about the world really took off (think Darwin.) A common related word is demographics, referring to the raw statistical data that's used for analysis.

Example Sentences

But Berlin will soon decide what sort of destiny it wants to craft for itself in light of its demography.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026

And as the idea has transformed from an obscure finding in the demography literature to a massive business venture, a once-productive collaboration between its originators has turned sour.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 20, 2024

Declining fertility rates are not just about people delaying parenthood, but about a growing trend of people not having children, says Brienna Perelli-Harris, professor of demography at the University of Southampton.

From BBC • Nov. 2, 2024

To date, few studies have focused on the dynamics of the environment, climate change, elephant demography and how the changing habitat influences elephants over long periods.

From Science Daily • Jan. 31, 2024

In 2000 we had taken on the subject of race, not as a political construct or an exercise in demography but more intimately, as a force in how we live our lives.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

Related Words

• anthropology