Here's a breakdown:
Etymology:
* "Demo" comes from the Greek word "demos," meaning "people" or "population."
* "Graphy" comes from the Greek word "graphein," meaning "to write" or "to describe."
Meaning:
Demography is the scientific study of human populations, focusing on their size, structure, and distribution, as well as how these factors change over time. It involves:
* Analyzing population trends: Birth rates, death rates, migration patterns, and age distribution.
* Understanding demographic factors: These factors influence social, economic, and environmental conditions.
* Making predictions about future population changes: This helps us understand how these changes will impact our world.
Semantics:
* Static: Demography often focuses on characteristics of a population at a particular point in time (e.g., age distribution in 2023).
* Dynamic: It also examines how these characteristics evolve over time (e.g., changes in birth rates over the past century).
* Quantitative: Demography relies heavily on statistical analysis and data collection to understand population dynamics.
* Social: Demography is closely intertwined with sociological and anthropological perspectives as it investigates the social impacts of population changes.
Key Concepts:
* Population growth: Increase or decrease in the size of a population.
* Age structure: Distribution of individuals in a population by age group.
* Migration: Movement of people from one location to another.
* Fertility: Ability of women to bear children.
* Mortality: Rate of death in a population.
In essence, demography provides us with a framework to understand and analyze the dynamics of human populations and how they are shaped by various social, economic, and environmental factors.