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

Cities tended to have higher population density, which could increase the spread of diseases such as leprosy and tuberculosis.

From Science Daily • Mar. 13, 2026

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 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

A fourth factor was the two-way link between the rise in human population density and the rise in food production.

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

Related Words

• anthropology