demographic
deh-muh-GRAF-ik
/ˌdɛməˈɡræfɪk/
Relating to the structure of human populations, such as age, income, education, or race.
Can function as an adjective ('demographic shift') or as a noun referring to a specific sector of a population ('target demographic').
The story behind the word. Coined in French as 'démographie' in 1855 by Achille Guillard in his work on human statistics, combining the roots for 'people' and 'writing'.
Word relationships
- population-based: Descriptive phrase, whereas 'demographic' is the precise academic term.
- individual: Focuses on personal characteristics rather than population trends.
Commonly confused with
- epidemic: Demographic relates to population structure; epidemic refers to widespread disease occurrence.
Word family
- demography (noun): The study of statistics such as births, deaths, income, or incidence of disease.
- demographer (noun): A expert in demography.
Collocations
- demographic shift
- demographic transition
- target demographic
- demographic data
Example sentences
- "The country is facing significant demographic challenges due to an aging population." Economic trend
- "Demographic analysis revealed a sharp rise in young professionals moving to mid-sized cities." Urban policy
Memory hook
DEMO (people) + GRAPHIC (picture/chart) = picture of the people. Mapping the population.
When not to use
Do not confuse with 'geographic', which relates strictly to location and physical terrain.
Fun facts
- The term was first introduced in 1855 by French statistician Achille Guillard.
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.