From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpopulationpop‧u‧la‧tion /ˌpɒpjəˈleɪʃən $ ˌpɑː-/ ●●● S2 W1 noun 1 [countable]LIVE SOMEWHERE the number of people living in a particular area, country etcpopulation of India has a population of more than one billion. Nearly 70 percent of the population still live in the countryside.2 [countable usually singular]PERSON/PEOPLE all of the people who live in a particular area Most of the world’s population doesn’t get enough to eat.white/French/urban etc population (=part of the group of people who live in a particular area who are white, French etc) South Florida has a large Jewish population.3 → centre of population/population centreCOLLOCATIONS – Meanings 1 & 2ADJECTIVES/NOUN + populationthe total/whole/entire populationThe entire population will be celebrating.the world's populationSixty percent of the world's population live in areas that are at risk from sea-level rises.the general populationEthnic minorities suffer more than the general population.the local populationThe local population gave them a warm welcome.the black/white population (=black or white people who live in a place)Unemployment is greater among the black population.the Jewish/Muslim/Asian etc population (=the people of a particular nationality or religion who live in a place)the city's 4,000-strong Asian populationthe indigenous population formal (=the people who have always lived in a place)His new book assesses the impact of Spanish culture on the indigenous population of Mexico.the urban population (=the people who live in towns or cities)The region's urban population will more than double in the next two decades.the rural population (=the people who live in the countryside)Agricultural reforms must address the needs of the rural population.the adult populationA third of the adult population pay no tax at all.the elderly populationShould the entire elderly population be regularly screened for this disease?an ageing population (=gradually becoming older on average)The rapidly ageing population will put a strain on the country's health care system.a large populationCalifornia is a big state with a large population.a prison population (=the number of people in prisons in a country or area)A quarter of the prison population is under 21.a student populationThe university has a student population of almost 5,000.verbsa population grows/increases/risesBetween these years the population grew by 40%.a population falls/declines/decreasesThe population in many rural areas has continued to fall.a population reachesNigeria 's population will reach 532 million in the middle of this century.population + NOUNpopulation growthRapid population growth intensifies competition for land.population increaseThe population increase in the region is a cause for concern.a population explosion/boom (=when the population increases quickly and by a large amount)What will be the long-term effects of this population explosion?population density (=the degree to which an area is filled with people)Australia has a low population density.population control (=controlling how many children people have) It is argued that population control is essential to limit the depletion of natural resources.
Examples from the Corpus
population• Austria has a population of 7.5 million.• New Jersey has a population of around 7.6 million.• Ninety percent of the adult population is literate.• The steppes support around 65 percent of the remaining worldwide bustard population.• In those countries where indigenous women existed side by side with a late-arriving and dominant population, the indigenous women suffered disproportionately.• In our study, significantly more miners complained of weight loss than the general population.• But most of this growing population is poor and marginalised, even before disaster strikes.• Most of them have populations that are growing rapidly.• The country's Jewish population was angered by the prime minister's remarks.• 30% of the male population suffers from heart disease.• Ultimately the regional problem and the changing geography of population and industrial distribution gave the subject field a dramatically widened remit.• The U.S. has a rate of population growth that is five times that of Europe.• City officials are wary of population loss to suburbs and point with pride to the overall population gain that has accompanied annexation.• In 1966 the population of Lima was about two million.• In many Western European countries the population is no longer increasing.• What is the population of Montana?• In Ghana 46% of the population is under 16 years of age.• More than 53 million people, about one-fifth of the population, live in those counties.• Most of the population of Canada lives relatively near the U.S. border.• A large portion of the population lives in poverty.• The patients have been isolated to keep the disease from spreading to the rest of the population.• The population of Germany is about 80 million.• The population of Singapore is almost 3 million.white/French/urban etc population• Unemployment among the rural and urban population is on the upswing.• Without these, the dense urban populations of the twentieth century would not have been possible.• Only in the homogeneous white population of the United Provinces of the River Plate did independence seem secure.• He is giving Khatemi room to impress the virtues of self-censorship and restraint on a young, restless urban population.• Numerous programs for increasing the white population were debated in the colonial assembly, but no resolution was adopted.• The beat was the site where police control of the urban population was felt most acutely.• We recommend immediate large-scale immunisation of the urban population, as well as tightened surveillance and appropriate vector control.• With the urban population growing towards 320 million by the year 2000, social and political tensions are likely to increase.From Longman Business Dictionarypopulationpop‧u‧la‧tion /ˌpɒpjəˈleɪʃənˌpɑː-/ noun1[countable, uncountable] the number of people who live in a particular country or areaa city with a population of over 2 millionHong Kong’s rapid growth in population2[countable usually singular] all the people who live in a particular area12% of the population now has private health insurance. → active population 