noun · neutral

population

UK/ˌpɒpjʊˈleɪʃ(ə)n/US/ˌpɑːpjuˈleɪʃən/pop·u·LA·tion

Band 5-6task1task2speaking

the total number of people living in a particular area

Examples

The city's population has grown rapidly over the last decade.

Population density affects how public services are planned.

Policymakers worry about the ageing population and its effects on pensions.

Band 8 sentence

Effective urban policy must account for population density, migration trends and long‑term demographic change.

Collocations

  • population growth
  • population density
  • ageing population

Word family

populate verbpopulation nounpopulace nounpopulated adjective

Common mistakes

many populationa large population / the population

population are increasingpopulation is increasing / the population is increasing

Say it for a higher band

5people6inhabitants7+population

Synonyms

people

Easily confused

people

The people in the town are friendly.

Related words

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In -tion / -sion

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