Skip to main content
population growth

population growth

31 2.9
A rise in the number of people living in a place
  • noun
  • /ˌpɒpjʊˈleɪʃən ɡroʊθ/
translation icon : crecimiento de la población
  • In the following century, however, the population growth rate fell, slowly at first but then turned into actual decline.
  • population growth rate
  • rapid population growth
  • high population growth

GDP growth is population growth plus productivity.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • As the country's population growth slowed, the French became concerned about the national security implications.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Improvements in farming and agricultural practices resulted in increased food production and subsequently in population growth.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Because it seems to me the population growth will tend to destroy almost anything you can do.

  • Now, overall global population growth is slowing down.

  • So rapid population growth on the historic scale continues, but it's slower than it used to be.

  • Thus, the relative contribution of immigration to population growth will necessarily increase.

    Academic text (1990)
  • Many of the causes are the results of population growth, urbanization, and industrialization.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Tremendous economic expansion fueled the population growth in the Florida retirement counties.

    Academic text (1990)
  • Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona: Due to population growth in the area, the operation has outgrown its cocomposting digester.

    Academic text (1999)
  • More nations now recognize the challenges posed by rapid population growth in urban areas.

Antonyms

4 7.2

A decrease in the number of people living in a place

How Fast

rapid growth
13 2.8
population growth
31 2.9

Surface Forms

Morphology

population + growth

The meaning 'an increase in the number of people' is directly and compositionally derived from 'population' (people in an area) plus 'growth' (increase), following a common noun-noun compounding pattern. This literal, cross-linguistically frequent construction is readily understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.

Etymology

Population growth gives a simple picture: the population, the group of people, gets bigger over time, like a town that keeps adding houses and families, so growth here means the number of people rises, or 'an increase in the number of people'.