Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.
Biological population densities
Population density is population divided by total land area, sometimes including seas and oceans, as appropriate.
Low densities may cause an extinction vortex and further reduce fertility. This is called the Allee effect after the scientist who identified it. Examples of the causes of reduced fertility in low population densities are:
- Increased problems with locating sexual mates
- Increased inbreeding
Human densities
Population density is the number of people per unit of area, usually transcribed as "per square kilometer" or square mile, and which may include or exclude, for example, areas of water or glaciers. Commonly this is calculated for a county, city, country, another territory or the entire world.
The world's population is around 8,000,000,000 and the Earth's total area (including land and water) is 510,000,000 km2 (200,000,000 sq mi). Therefore, the worldwide human population density is approximately 8,000,000,000 ÷ 510,000,000 = 16/km2 (41/sq mi). However, if only the Earth's land area of 150,000,000 km2 (58,000,000 sq mi) is taken into account, then human population density is 53/km2 (140/sq mi). This includes all continental and island land area, including Antarctica. However, if Antarctica is excluded, then population density rises to over 58 per square kilometre (150/sq mi).
The European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) has developed a suite of (open and free) data and tools named the Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) to improve the science for policy support to the European Commission Directorate Generals and Services and as support to the United Nations system.
Several of the most densely populated territories in the world are city-states, microstates and urban dependencies. In fact, 95% of the world's population is concentrated on just 10% of the world's land. These territories have a relatively small area and a high urbanization level, with an economically specialized city population drawing also on rural resources outside the area, illustrating the difference between high population density and overpopulation.
Deserts have very limited potential for growing crops as there is not enough rain to support them. Thus, their population density is generally low. However, some cities in the Middle East, such as Dubai, have been increasing in population and infrastructure growth at a fast pace.
Cities with high population densities are, by some, considered to be overpopulated, though this will depend on factors like quality of housing and infrastructure and access to resources. Very densely populated cities are mostly in Asia (particularly Southeast Asia); Africa's Lagos, Kinshasa, and Cairo; South America's Bogotá, Lima, and São Paulo; and Mexico City and Saint Petersburg also fall into this category.
City population and especially area are, however, heavily dependent on the definition of "urban area" used: densities are almost invariably higher for the center only than when suburban settlements and intervening rural areas are included, as in the agglomeration or metropolitan area (the latter sometimes including neighboring cities).
In comparison, based on a world population of 8 billion, the world's inhabitants, if conceptualized as a loose crowd occupying just under 1 m2 (10 sq ft) per person (cf. Jacobs Method), would occupy an area of 8,000 square kilometres (3,100 sq mi) a little less than the land area of Puerto Rico, 8,868 square kilometres (3,424 sq mi).
Countries and dependent territories
| Rank | Country or dependent territory | Land Area | Population | Density | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km2 | sq mi | per km2 | per sq mi | |||
| 1 |  Macau (China) | 30.5 | 12 | 650,834 | 21,339 | 55,268 |
| 2 |  Monaco | 2.02 | 0.78 | 37,550 | 18,589 | 48,145 |
| 3 |  Singapore | 719.9 | 278 | 5,612,300 | 7,796 | 20,192 |
| 4 |  Hong Kong (China) | 1,106.3 | 427 | 7,409,800 | 6,698 | 17,348 |
| 5 |  Gaza Strip (Palestine) | 365 | 141 | 2,098,389 | 5,749 | 14,890 |
| 6 |  Gibraltar (UK) | 6.8 | 2.6 | 33,140 | 4,874 | 12,624 |
| 7 |  Bahrain | 757 | 292 | 1,451,200 | 1,917 | 4,965 |
| 8 |  Vatican City | 0.44 | 0.17 | 800 | 1,818 | 4,709 |
| 9 |  Malta | 315 | 122 | 475,701 | 1,510 | 3,911 |
| 10 |  Maldives | 298 | 115 | 378,114 | 1,269 | 3,287 |
| Rank | Country/Territory | Land Area | Population | Density | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km2 | sq mi | per km2 | per sq mi | |||
| 1 |  Bangladesh | 134,208 | 51,818 | 170,329,768 | 1,269 | 3,287 |
| 2 |  Taiwan | 32,260 | 12,456 | 23,539,588 | 730 | 1,891 |
| 3 |  Rwanda | 24,668 | 9,524 | 13,246,394 | 537 | 1,391 |
| 4 |  Netherlands | 33,670 | 13,000 | 17,943,243 | 533 | 1,380 |
| 5 |  South Korea | 99,909 | 38,575 | 51,439,038 | 515 | 1,334 |
| 6 |  Burundi | 25,680 | 9,915 | 12,574,571 | 490 | 1,269 |
| 7 |  India | 2,973,190 | 1,147,955 | 1,374,547,140 | 462 | 1,197 |
| 8 |  Haiti | 27,560 | 10,641 | 11,743,017 | 426 | 1,103 |
| 9 |  Belgium | 30,278 | 11,690 | 11,554,449 | 382 | 989 |
| 10 |  Philippines | 298,170 | 115,124 | 109,961,895 | 369 | 956 |
Other methods of measurement
Although the arithmetic density is the most common way of measuring population density, several other methods have been developed to provide alternative measures of population density over a specific area.
- Arithmetic density: The total number of people / area of land
- Physiological density: The total population / area of arable land
- Agricultural density: The total rural population / area of arable land
- Residential density: The number of people living in an urban area / area of residential land
- Urban density: The number of people inhabiting an urban area / total area of urban land
- Ecological optimum: The density of population that can be supported by the natural resources
- Population-weighted density: Also known as living density, population density at which the average person lives
See also
- Distance sampling
- Demography
- Human geography
- Idealised population
- List of population concern organizations
- Plant density
- Population dynamics
- Population decline
- Population growth
- Population genetics
- Population health
- Population momentum
- Population pyramid
- Rural transport problem
- Significant figures
- Small population size
- Global Human Settlement Layer
- Population-weighted density
Lists of entities by population density
- List of Australian suburbs by population density
- List of countries by population density
- List of cities by population density
- List of city districts by population density
- List of English districts by population density
- List of European Union cities proper by population density
- List of islands by population density
- List of states and territories of the United States by population density
Explanatory notes
- The Monaco government uses a smaller surface area figure resulting in a population density of 18,078/km2 (46,820/sq mi).
- Territory occupied by Israel.
- Territory claimed by Spain.
References
- Matt Rosenberg Population Density. Geography.about.com. March 2, 2011. Retrieved on December 10, 2011.
- Minimum viable population size. Archived October 6, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Eoearth.org (March 6, 2010). Retrieved on December 10, 2011.
- U.S. & World Population Clocks. Census.gov. Retrieved on November 19, 2022.
- World. CIA World Factbook
- Melchiorri, Michele (September 15, 2022). "The global human settlement layer sets a new standard for global urban data reporting with the urban centre database". Frontiers in Environmental Science. 10. doi:10.3389/fenvs.2022.1003862.
- Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division (2009). "World Population Prospects, Table A.1" (PDF). 2008 revision. United Nations. Retrieved March 12, 2009.
- "Urbanization: 95% Of The World's Population Lives On 10% Of The Land". ScienceDaily. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
- Portnov, B. A.; Hare, A. Paul (1999). Desert regions : population, migration, and environment. Springer. ISBN 3540657800. OCLC 41320143.
- "Why Mongolia is sparsely populated?". Esther Fleming. SidmartinBio.
- Human Population. Global Issues. Retrieved on December 10, 2011.
- The largest cities in the world by land area, population and density Archived May 16, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. Citymayors.com. Retrieved on December 10, 2011.
- "Population counter". Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek. November 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
- Analysis of living population density per countries, based on NASA SEDAC world gridded data.
External links
- Selected Current and Historic City, Ward & Neighborhood Density
- Duncan Smith / UCL Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis. "World Population Density".
exploratory map shows data from the [...] Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) produced by the European Commission JRC and the CIESIN Columbia University
Population density in agriculture standing stock or plant density is a measurement of population per unit land area It is mostly applied to humans but sometimes to other living organisms too It is a key geographical term Population density people per square kilometre by country in 2023Population density people per square kilometre map of the world in 1994 In relation to the equator it is seen that the vast majority of human population lives in the Northern Hemisphere where 67 of Earth s land area is Biological population densitiesPopulation density is population divided by total land area sometimes including seas and oceans as appropriate Low densities may cause an extinction vortex and further reduce fertility This is called the Allee effect after the scientist who identified it Examples of the causes of reduced fertility in low population densities are Increased problems with locating sexual mates Increased inbreedingHuman densities Population density people per square kilometre by country 2006 Population density is the number of people per unit of area usually transcribed as per square kilometer or square mile and which may include or exclude for example areas of water or glaciers Commonly this is calculated for a county city country another territory or the entire world The world s population is around 8 000 000 000 and the Earth s total area including land and water is 510 000 000 km2 200 000 000 sq mi Therefore the worldwide human population density is approximately 8 000 000 000 510 000 000 16 km2 41 sq mi However if only the Earth s land area of 150 000 000 km2 58 000 000 sq mi is taken into account then human population density is 53 km2 140 sq mi This includes all continental and island land area including Antarctica However if Antarctica is excluded then population density rises to over 58 per square kilometre 150 sq mi World environments map provided for comparison with maps above The European Commission s Joint Research Centre JRC has developed a suite of open and free data and tools named the Global Human Settlement Layer GHSL to improve the science for policy support to the European Commission Directorate Generals and Services and as support to the United Nations system Several of the most densely populated territories in the world are city states microstates and urban dependencies In fact 95 of the world s population is concentrated on just 10 of the world s land These territories have a relatively small area and a high urbanization level with an economically specialized city population drawing also on rural resources outside the area illustrating the difference between high population density and overpopulation Deserts have very limited potential for growing crops as there is not enough rain to support them Thus their population density is generally low However some cities in the Middle East such as Dubai have been increasing in population and infrastructure growth at a fast pace Mongolian Steppes Mongolia is the least densely populated country in the world due to its harsh climate as a result of its geography Cities with high population densities are by some considered to be overpopulated though this will depend on factors like quality of housing and infrastructure and access to resources Very densely populated cities are mostly in Asia particularly Southeast Asia Africa s Lagos Kinshasa and Cairo South America s Bogota Lima and Sao Paulo and Mexico City and Saint Petersburg also fall into this category Monaco is currently the most densely populated nation in Europe City population and especially area are however heavily dependent on the definition of urban area used densities are almost invariably higher for the center only than when suburban settlements and intervening rural areas are included as in the agglomeration or metropolitan area the latter sometimes including neighboring cities In comparison based on a world population of 8 billion the world s inhabitants if conceptualized as a loose crowd occupying just under 1 m2 10 sq ft per person cf Jacobs Method would occupy an area of 8 000 square kilometres 3 100 sq mi a little less than the land area of Puerto Rico 8 868 square kilometres 3 424 sq mi Countries and dependent territories Population under 10 000 000 Rank Country or dependent territory Land Area Population Densitykm2 sq mi per km2 per sq mi1 Macau China 30 5 12 650 834 21 339 55 2682 Monaco 2 02 0 78 37 550 18 589 48 1453 Singapore 719 9 278 5 612 300 7 796 20 1924 Hong Kong China 1 106 3 427 7 409 800 6 698 17 3485 Gaza Strip Palestine 365 141 2 098 389 5 749 14 8906 Gibraltar UK 6 8 2 6 33 140 4 874 12 6247 Bahrain 757 292 1 451 200 1 917 4 9658 Vatican City 0 44 0 17 800 1 818 4 7099 Malta 315 122 475 701 1 510 3 91110 Maldives 298 115 378 114 1 269 3 287Population above 10 000 000 Rank Country Territory Land Area Population Densitykm2 sq mi per km2 per sq mi1 Bangladesh 134 208 51 818 170 329 768 1 269 3 2872 Taiwan 32 260 12 456 23 539 588 730 1 8913 Rwanda 24 668 9 524 13 246 394 537 1 3914 Netherlands 33 670 13 000 17 943 243 533 1 3805 South Korea 99 909 38 575 51 439 038 515 1 3346 Burundi 25 680 9 915 12 574 571 490 1 2697 India 2 973 190 1 147 955 1 374 547 140 462 1 1978 Haiti 27 560 10 641 11 743 017 426 1 1039 Belgium 30 278 11 690 11 554 449 382 98910 Philippines 298 170 115 124 109 961 895 369 956Other methods of measurement This population cartogram of the European Union 2007 2012 uses areas and colors to represent population Living population density by country Although the arithmetic density is the most common way of measuring population density several other methods have been developed to provide alternative measures of population density over a specific area Arithmetic density The total number of people area of land Physiological density The total population area of arable land Agricultural density The total rural population area of arable land Residential density The number of people living in an urban area area of residential land Urban density The number of people inhabiting an urban area total area of urban land Ecological optimum The density of population that can be supported by the natural resources Population weighted density Also known as living density population density at which the average person livesSee alsoDistance sampling Demography Human geography Idealised population List of population concern organizations Plant density Population dynamics Population decline Population growth Population genetics Population health Population momentum Population pyramid Rural transport problem Significant figures Small population size Global Human Settlement Layer Population weighted densityLists of entities by population density List of Australian suburbs by population density List of countries by population density List of cities by population density List of city districts by population density List of English districts by population density List of European Union cities proper by population density List of islands by population density List of states and territories of the United States by population densityExplanatory notesThe Monaco government uses a smaller surface area figure resulting in a population density of 18 078 km2 46 820 sq mi Territory occupied by Israel Territory claimed by Spain ReferencesMatt Rosenberg Population Density Geography about com March 2 2011 Retrieved on December 10 2011 Minimum viable population size Archived October 6 2012 at the Wayback Machine Eoearth org March 6 2010 Retrieved on December 10 2011 U S amp World Population Clocks Census gov Retrieved on November 19 2022 World CIA World Factbook Melchiorri Michele September 15 2022 The global human settlement layer sets a new standard for global urban data reporting with the urban centre database Frontiers in Environmental Science 10 doi 10 3389 fenvs 2022 1003862 Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division 2009 World Population Prospects Table A 1 PDF 2008 revision United Nations Retrieved March 12 2009 Urbanization 95 Of The World s Population Lives On 10 Of The Land ScienceDaily Retrieved September 1 2020 Portnov B A Hare A Paul 1999 Desert regions population migration and environment Springer ISBN 3540657800 OCLC 41320143 Why Mongolia is sparsely populated Esther Fleming SidmartinBio Human Population Global Issues Retrieved on December 10 2011 The largest cities in the world by land area population and density Archived May 16 2015 at the Wayback Machine Citymayors com Retrieved on December 10 2011 Population counter Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek November 2023 Retrieved November 1 2023 Analysis of living population density per countries based on NASA SEDAC world gridded data External linksSelected Current and Historic City Ward amp Neighborhood Density Duncan Smith UCL Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis World Population Density exploratory map shows data from the Global Human Settlement Layer GHSL produced by the European Commission JRC and the CIESIN Columbia University
