Approximately 9 out of 10 babies in our world are born in poorer countries. The current and projected rates of population growth show an uneven distribution in the population growth between richer and poorer nations. You can see this when studying age-structure diagrams also known as a population pyramid.

The population pyramid (as it is referred to in the text) classifies population by gender and by five year age cohorts. One important aspect of these diagrams is the percentage of the population under age 15. Those countries with a higher percentage of population under age 15 are said to be “bottom heavy”. The bottom heavy age structure diagram is typical of poorer countries while more affluent nations are typically show a more even “chimney” distribution.

Open the attached document to read the questions and to see the population pyramids.