demography
gb/dɪmˈɑɡɹəfi/ us/dɪmˈɑɡɹəfi/
C1
English
Senses
0 senses
Noun
technical
C1
abstract
1
study of human populations
Demography is the study of how populations change and what they are like (for example, age and birth rates).
Usage pattern:
[study/do research in] demography
Common mistake:
Often confused with democracy (government by voting).
Synonyms
population studies (Often broader and less technical than demography.)
|
population science (Emphasizes the scientific/quantitative approach.)
Collocations
study demography
|research in demography
|a demography course
|a demography professor
|demography research
|demography department
|demography and migration
|demography and public health
|social demography
|human demography
Themes
education
|science
|society
|statistics
Examples
- She specialized in demography, focusing on how migration reshapes cities.
- Demography uses census data to analyze long-term population trends.
- The lecture introduced basic methods used in demography.
Learner examples
- I am studying demography at university.
- Demography looks at births, deaths, and migration.
Noun
formal
C1
abstract
2
population makeup and statistics
Demography can also mean the facts and numbers about a group of people (like age and where they live).
Usage pattern:
the demography of [place/group/market]
Common mistake:
Learners often use demographics when they mean demography; in everyday business/marketing, demographics is more common.
Synonyms
demographics (More common in marketing/business and usually plural.)
|
population profile (Emphasizes a summarized description of key characteristics.)
Collocations
the demography of the city
|local demography
|regional demography
|changing demography
|age demography
|voter demography
|workforce demography
|customer demography
|demography data
|demography trends
Themes
society
|business
|politics
|statistics
Examples
- The neighborhood’s demography has shifted toward younger families in the last decade.
- They studied the demography of their customers to decide where to open new stores.
- Changes in demography can affect voting patterns and public services.
Learner examples
- The demography of our town is changing.
- We checked the demography of our customers.
Grammar
Dictionary form
demography
IPA
GB/dɪmˈɑɡɹəfi/
US/dɪmˈɑɡɹəfi/
Syllables & stress
demo - graphy (2 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (graphy)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: demography
- Plural: demographies, demography
Word family
Forms
demographies
noun
Core family
demographic
adjective C1
demographer
noun
Related words
demographically
adverb C1
Advanced or less common
sociodemographic
adjective
Expressions
changing demography
1/t͡ʃˈeɪnd͡ʒɪŋ dɪmˈɑɡɹəfi/
fixed phrase
formal
shift in population composition
A changing demography means the types of people in a place are changing over time.
Examples
- The changing demography of the region has increased demand for multilingual services.
- Businesses are adapting to the changing demography of the workforce.
- The report links housing prices to the changing demography of the city.
demography is destiny
1/dɪmˈɑɡɹəfi ˈɪz dˈɛstɪni/
fixed phrase
formal
population trends shape the future
People use this to say population changes strongly affect the future.
Examples
- In his speech, he argued that demography is destiny and that aging will define the next decade.
- Some analysts repeat the line ‘demography is destiny’ when discussing long-term economic growth.
- She challenged the idea that demography is destiny, pointing to policies that can change outcomes.