ABSTRACT
Demography is defined as 'the study of human populations, their size, growth, density and distribution'. Shifts in population size and structure also generate and reflect differing health needs. The census, an enumeration of a given population, is a central tool of demography because it attempts to record information on all persons in every household, age/date of birth, sex, occupation, national origin, language, marital status and income, as well as information at the household level. Demographic transition theory describes a country's shift from high fertility and mortality levels, towards a decline in mortality and fertility, through to low fertility and mortality. As birth rate declines, proportion of children and young adults declines; as death rates decline the proportion of older people increases. Population pyramids visually present an overview of age and sex profile of a specified population. Other demographic trends with significant health implications relate to women not only having fewer children, but having them later and spacing them further apart.
