30 June 2020

How to measure population change

Today we continue our introduction to basic population concepts by reviewing how to measure population change.


Population change over time can be measured in the following ways:
  • Natural increase = (Live Births) – (Deaths)
  • Net migration = (Immigration) – (Emigration)
  • Population growth = (Natural increase) + (Net migration)

All the indicators of population change can be:
  • Positive (population size is increasing)
  • Zero (population size is not changing)
  • Negative (population size is declining)