Words / B1

pop-yoo-LAYSHUN/ˌpɒpjuˈleɪʃn/

Population is the number of people in a place: a growing / ageing population; the population of Pakistan. People is everyday and uncountable in this sense; inhabitants is more formal. Populate is a rarer verb. Overpopulation and population density appear in geography essays. Do not write “populations are many” — use a large population or many people.

Meaning

The number of people who live in a place.

Examples

• “The city’s population is growing.”
• “Rural areas have seen a fall in population.”
• “What is the population of this city?”

Good to know

a growing / ageing population. the population of + place. Everyday: people. Formal: inhabitants.

Near in meaning

inhabitants

New