demographic

American  

[dem-uh-graf-ik] / ˌdɛm əˈgræf ɪk /

adjective

1. of or relating to demography, the science of vital and social statistics.

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noun

1. a single vital or social statistic of a human population, as the number of births or deaths.

2. a specific segment of a population having shared characteristics.

   The producers were looking for a show that would appeal to the 18-34 demographic.

demographic British  

/ ˌdɛməˈɡræfɪk, ˌdiːmə- /

adjective

1. of or relating to demography

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noun

1. a section of the population sharing common characteristics, such as age, sex, class, etc

Other Word Forms

• demographical adjective
• demographically adverb

Etymology

Origin of demographic

First recorded in 1880–85; demo- + -graphic

Explanation

Advertising agencies like to schedule their commercials in television shows that appeal to the 18-49 demographic, because this segment of the population has a lot of spending power. Demographic is a word companies use when they're trying to sell their products to a particular group of consumers. A movie studio that wants to promote its new film, "Revenge of the Senior Kitties," might aim for the 65-to-85-year-old cat-lover . A demographic can consist of people who are in the same age group, such as 18-to-29-year-olds, or ethnic group, such as African-Americans.

Example Sentences

To that demographic, self-identifying as a reader is about more than “the literal act of reading a book,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026

That’s especially true of the demographic of women who watch the network, who are also the prime audience for Hallmark movies about wayward daughters returning home to marry the boy next door.

From Salon • Apr. 13, 2026

"During the mid-MP, climatic improvements increased the region's carrying capacity, leading to demographic expansion and intensified contact between different Homo taxa."

From Science Daily • Apr. 12, 2026

The new strategy tapped into "a growing demographic of young adults who have many of the hard skills it takes to be a successful controller", he said.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

We have enough documents, letters and memoirs to prove that World War Two was not caused by food shortages or demographic pressures.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

Related Words

• analytical
• numerical