population density

American  

[pop-yuh-ley-shuhn den-si-tee] / ˌpɒp yəˈleɪ ʃən ˌdɛn sɪ ti /

noun

population densities plural

1. the number of people, or members of a particular plant or animal species, living in a specified unit of area: a measure of how crowded or spread out inhabitants are.

   At the time of this research, the city had a population density of 537 persons per square mile.

   Our free-range chickens are raised without antibiotics and in low population densities, with plenty of room to roam around.

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Etymology

Origin of population density

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

“Southern California has a high population density with a high electricity demand, which is projected to continue growing substantially,” said Patricia Hidalgo-Gonzalez, director of the Renewable Energy and Advanced Mathematics lab at UC San Diego.

From Los Angeles Times • May 17, 2026

The analysis showed that wood smoke pollution is especially harmful in urban and suburban areas, where population density, emissions patterns, and atmospheric movement combine to increase exposure.

From Science Daily • Jan. 26, 2026

The country’s east is heavily urbanized, with a population density about 50 times that of Arctic Scandinavia and Finland, where every square mile houses on average five people.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 27, 2025

The city's population density is more than 7,100 people per square kilometre of land, on par with packed metropolises like Tokyo.

From Barron's • Nov. 27, 2025

Kroeber cut back the tally still further, to 900,000—a population density of less than one person for every six square miles.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

Related Words

• anthropology