- 1 [countable + singular or plural verb, uncountable] all the people who live in a particular area, city or country; the total number of people who live there One third of the world’s population consumes/consume two thirds of the world’s resources. The entire population of the town was at the meeting. countries with ageing populations Muslims make up 55% of the population. an increase in population areas of dense/sparse population (= where many/not many people live) The population is increasing at about 6% per year. Japan has a population of nearly 130 million. to control population growth population density Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivedense, large, small, … population + verbbe something, stand at something, reach something, … population + nounlevels, size, density, … phrasesa decline in population, an increase in population, the growth of population, … See full entry
- 2 [countable + singular or plural verb] a particular group of people or animals living in a particular area the adult/working/rural, etc. population of the country The prison population (= the number of people in prison) is continuing to rise. Oil spillages are disastrous for fish populations. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivedense, large, small, … population + verbbe something, stand at something, reach something, … population + nounlevels, size, density, … phrasesa decline in population, an increase in population, the growth of population, … See full entry Word Originlate 16th cent. (denoting an inhabited place): from late Latin populatio(n-), from the verb populare, from populus ‘people’. Wordfindercityamenity, city, ghetto, high-rise, metropolitan, population, slum, suburb, town, urbanExtra examples As populations age, funding retirement becomes more expensive. India’s population growth rate has been more than twice that of China’s. Most of the economically active population is employed in the primary industries. No reliable population estimates exist. The country has a total population of 65 million. The estuary is home to the largest breeding population of birds in Australia. The general population was against the measures. The general population was in favour of the National Health Service. The income per head of population was under £1 000 per annum. The majority of the population live in these two towns. The population fluctuated between 16 000 and 31 000. The population now stands at about 4 million. The rapid growth of population led to an acute shortage of housing. a diverse population of over 100 nationalities huge population shifts within metropolitan regions major population centres along the coast natural populations of plants and animals plagues that can destroy human populations research in matters of sexual health and population control the growing Hispanic population in the United States the major factors of population change the population boom which followed World War Two Japan has a very high population density. Muslims make up 55% of the population. Nigeria has a population of nearly 100 million. One third of the world’s population consumes two thirds of the world’s resources. These farmers are relatively poor when compared with the rest of the population.
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