Demographic density stands for population distribution in a given area. Also called population density or relative population, this demographic index represents, therefore, an average between the area of a given place and the total number of inhabitants in it. find.
The result obtained by calculating the demographic density allows you to analyze the population of a given place, how it is distributed and what are the factors that influence the concentration levels of individuals in the same area.
readalso:Difference between absolute population and relative population
How to calculate?
First, in order to calculate the demographic density, it is necessary to obtain information about the total number of inhabitants and also the extent of the area. Once the information is collected, the calculation is done as follows:
Divide the total number of inhabitants by the area. See an example:
Example of how to calculate population density.
The example given above shows that a particular place whose area is 300,000 km
2 it has 1,000,000 inhabitants in its territory. Dividing the number of inhabitants by the territorial extension of the place in question, we obtain a result of approximately 3 inhabitants per square kilometer.What is population density for?
Demographic density or the study of the relative population is of paramount importance to understand the dynamicspopulational from a certain place. The result of the calculation made to obtain population density says a lot about some characteristics of a given area. From the index, we can state whether an area is sparsely or heavily populated or whether it is sparsely or heavily populated. But do you know the difference between populated and populated?
populous and populated |
These are concepts that are part of demographic studies. When we say that a place is populated, we are saying that this place has a high number of inhabitants, therefore, there is a large absolute population in it. When we say that a place is very populated, we are saying that there are many inhabitants for every square kilometer. Thus, the term populous refers to the number of inhabitants and the term populated refers to the number of inhabitants per square kilometer. |
Demographic density also allows politicspublic designed to meet the social and economic needs of a given population. It is also possible to analyze the impacts caused on the environment by the greater or lesser presence of individuals in a given area and propose alternatives viable to reduce possible problems related to population concentration, such as pollution, waste production, deforestation and even changes climate.
Demographic density in Brazil
Brazil has many disparities when it comes to demographic density. There are regions with high density and others with reduced density, so the population is not evenly distributed in the territory. Currently, a little more than 209 million inhabitants live in Brazil, distributed in five major regions:
North region: 18,182,253 inhabitants approximately
Northeast region: 56,560,081 inhabitants approximately
Southeast region e: 87,711,946 inhabitants approximately
Midwest region: 16,085,885 inhabitants approximately
South region: 29,016.114 inhabitants approximately
Read too:Regions of Brazil: main features
The country extends for about 8,516,000 km2. Then, calculating its demographic density, it can be said that there are approximately 24.57 inhabitants per square kilometer in the country. That lowdensitypopulational it is due to the fact that Brazil has continental dimensions. However, there are more and less populated regions.
THE Southeast region is the most populated with about 94.63 inhabitants/km2. The Northern Region is the least populated with only 4.7 inhabitants/km2. The low demographic density of the North Region is explained by its territorial dimension. In relation to the federative units, the Federal District is the area with the highest demographic density in the country, with approximately 525.86 inhabitants/km2. The state with the lowest population density is Roraima with 2.33 inhabitants/km2. The states with the highest population density are found in the Southeast Region and the ones with the lowest density in the North and Center-West regions.
Lookalso:Brazil, a populous and unpopulated country
Demographic Density Map of Brazil
The demographic density map in Brazil shows the most populated and the least populated areas. Source: Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE)
The demographic density map of Brazil prepared by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) in 2010 allows us to see that there are large disparities in relation to the spatial distribution of the population in the Brazilian territory. The map reveals the density using colors ranging from yellow, which indicates very low population density, to red, which indicates high population density.
The analysis allows us to state that the Brazilian population is found mainly in the coastal region of the country; the capital of Brazil, located in the central region, is responsible for the greatest concentration of population in this area, as well as in neighboring regions; the areas of low population density are located in the interior regions of the country due to factors such as the type of climate, vegetation cover and the carrying out of agricultural and livestock activities.
World demographic density
In 2019, the world population reached the mark of 7.7 billion inhabitants distributed in an area of approximately 134,940,000 km2, therefore with a population density of approximately 50.79 inhab/km2. Ohe most populous continents are Asia and Europe. The Asian continent has a demographic density of 101.86 inhab/km2. See below the demographic density of each continent.
Continent |
Information |
Africa |
Population: 1,225,080,510 Area 30,221,532 km2 Demographic density: 40.5 inhab/km2 |
America |
Population: 902,892,047 Area: 42,189,120 km2 Demographic density: 21.40 inhab/km2 |
Asia |
Population: 4,462,676,731 Area: 43,810,582 km2 Demographic density: 101.86 inhab/km2 |
Europe |
Population: 741,447,158 Area: 10,180,000 km2 Demographic density: 72.8 inhab/km2 |
Oceania |
Population: 40,117,432 Area: 9,008,458 km2 Demographic density: 4.45 inhab/km2 |
readmore:Discover the most populous countries in the world
O most populous country in the world is China with about 1,372,470,000 inhabitants. However, it is not the country with the highest population density. The most populated area in the world is the Principality of Monaco, which has about 37,731 inhabitants spread over an area of 2 km2, resulting in a population density of approximately 18,865 inhabitants per km2. The country with the lowest population density is Mongolia, with a total population of 2,959,134 and an area of approximately 1,564,120 km2 and demographic density of 1.9 inhabitants per km2.
Exercises on demographic density
question 1
(USP) The table informs the territorial extension and the population of each one of the regions of Brazil, according to the IBGE.
Knowing that the territorial extension of Brazil is approximately 8.5 million km2, it is correct to say that the
a) demographic density in the Southeast region is approximately 87 inhabitants per km2.
b) North region corresponds to about 30% of the national territory.
c) the southern region has the highest population density.
d) Midwest region corresponds to about 40% of the national territory.
e) demographic density in the northeast region is approximately 20 inhabitants per km2.
Answer: Alternative THE
question 2
What is the most populous country in the world?
a) United States
b) China
c) India
d) Russia
Answer: Alternative B
*Image Credit: Olga Kolos | Shutterstock
by Rafaela Sousa
Graduated in Geography
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/geografia/densidade-demografica.htm
