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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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• population densities
  plural

Etymology

Origin of population density

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

Economic research has shown that an expanding population produces greater consumer demand, increases the supply of labor, and can generate innovation through greater population density.

From Barron's • Jan. 29, 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

“But over time, those natural enemies or pathogens appear, and their population density decreases.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 1, 2025

These correlations suggest strongly that regional population size or population density or population pressure has something to do with the formation of complex societies.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• anthropology