Read population pyramids
Grade 9 Social Studies Worksheet
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
Card C, age groups in six countries, 2023 (UN estimates, World Bank), as shares of the population
Niger 47.0% aged 0–14, 50.4% aged 15–64, 2.6% aged 65+; India 25.1%, 68.0%, 6.9%; Brazil 19.9%, 69.5%, 10.6%; United States 17.6%, 65.0%, 17.4%; Germany 13.9%, 63.3%, 22.8%; Japan 11.6%, 58.8%, 29.6%. Card D, notes: the dependency ratio is the number of people aged 0–14 and 65+ for each 100 people aged 15–64. Children need schools and child health care; older people need pensions and long-term care. A pyramid with a wide base is expansive, with a narrow base constrictive, and with about the same width from bottom to top stationary.
Which country has the heaviest dependency ratio on Cards C and D, Ren asks?
- The United States, because it has the most even mix of young and older, 17.6% and 17.4%
- Germany, because its 13.9% plus 22.8% is the largest sum of young and older people of the six
- Niger: 47.0 + 2.6 is 49.6 dependents for 50.4 working-age people, about 98 per 100
- Japan, because it has the most older people, 29.6%, and older people are the heaviest dependents
Japan and Niger both have heavy dependency ratios. What needs do their dependents mostly have, using Cards C and D, Tala asks?
- Japan needs more schools, since its ratio, 70 per 100, is a count of children who need school
- Both have the same needs, since two heavy dependency ratios mean the same number of people to support
- Japan's dependents are mostly older people, so pensions and care; Niger's are mostly children, so schools and child health
- Niger's dependents are mostly older people, and Japan's are mostly children, so each needs the other's services on the cards
India has 25.1% aged 0–14 and 6.9% aged 65+. Which pyramid type fits best, Zee asks?
- Stationary, since 68.0% of people are aged 15–64 and a big middle makes a pyramid the same width throughout the age bars
- The same as Niger's, since both have more young people than older people and so share a type
- Moderately expansive: the base, 25.1%, is much wider than the top, 6.9%, but far less wide than Niger's 47.0%
- Constrictive, since the older share, 6.9%, is small and a small top gives a narrow shape
About how many working-age people are there for each dependent in India and in Japan, using Cards C and D, Esme asks?
- India about 2.7 and Japan about 5.1, since the working-age share is divided by the older share alone
- India about 0.47 and Japan about 0.70, since the dependency ratio per 100 is the same as workers for each dependent
- India about 2.1 and Japan about 1.4, since the working-age share is divided by the dependent share
- India about 68 and Japan about 59, since the working-age share is the number of workers for each dependent
A student says the country with the fewest children must have the lightest dependency ratio. Check it with Cards C and D, Jun asks.
- It is right: Japan has the fewest children, 11.6%, and so the lightest ratio of the six
- It is wrong because India has the lightest ratio, with 25.1% children, which is a low share for the six countries on the card
- It is right once the older share is left out, so the ratio should be built from children alone
- Not so: Japan has the fewest children, 11.6%, but a heavy ratio, about 70, because of its older people
Germany has 13.9% aged 0–14 and 22.8% aged 65+. Which shape fits, using Card D, Kira asks?
- Expansive: 22.8% is a large share, and a large share at either end makes a pyramid expansive
- Stationary: the base and top are within ten points, so the pyramid is about the same width from bottom to top
- Constrictive: the base, 13.9%, is narrower than the top, 22.8%, so older people outnumber children
- Constrictive, but narrower at the top than at the base, since constrictive means a narrow top
How does Germany's age profile compare with the United States', using Card C, Luz asks?
- Germany and the United States have the same profile, since both have more than 60% aged 15–64
- Germany has a wider base and a narrower top than the United States, since both are rich countries
- Germany has a narrower base and a wider top: 13.9% aged 0–14 and 22.8% aged 65+, against 17.6% and 17.4%
- Germany has a larger working-age share than the United States, since 22.8% older is the larger number of the two
Milo's note: 'Niger has the fewest workers for each dependent, so Niger is the poorest of the six.' Which fix fits the cards?
- Niger has about one working-age person for each dependent, the fewest of the six; the ratio counts ages, not income
- Change 'poorest' to 'youngest', since 47.0% of Niger's people are children, and the note is otherwise right
- Keep it, since a ratio that is heavy is the clearest sign that a country has the least income
- Change 'fewest' to 'most', since Niger's 50.4% working-age is the smallest share and so gives the most workers per dependent
Noah says Germany has about 0.6 older people for each child. Check it with Card C.
- Yes: 13.9 divided by 22.8 is about 0.6 older people for each child, as the student said
- No: it is about 36.7, the sum of 22.8 and 13.9, since that is the number of older people for each child
- No: 22.8 divided by 13.9 is about 1.6; 0.6 is the number of children for each older person
- Yes: 22.8 minus 13.9 is 8.9, which is about 0.6 when it is read as a share of 13.9
Pia's note: 'Brazil and India have the same pyramid, since their working-age shares are almost equal, 69.5% and 68.0%.' Which fix fits Card C?
- They differ in the middle, since 69.5% and 68.0% are not equal numbers and so give different pyramids
- Brazil has more young people and fewer older people than India, since it has the larger working-age share
- They are the same, since each is the shape of a country with a large middle and small ends
- They differ at both ends: India has 25.1% aged 0–14 and 6.9% aged 65+, Brazil 19.9% and 10.6%