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Graduate Demography
Assignment #2: County Overview
Below is a series of questions pertaining to your assigned country. This assignment, as well as the
assignments that follow, are designed to get you acquainted with sources of demographic data on your
country. So, to complete assignment 2 go to the library and find sources of population data that pertain
to your country. Do not be alarmed if it takes you a while to find information on your country. It is
there. If, after looking, you can not find the appropriate data come and talk to me. I will help to point
you in the right direction. Please complete the assignment individually. Be sure to cite all sources of
information. Please include the author(s), title of publication, year, page numbers and table numbers for
each data source. You also need to be sure that it is clear to the reader which information comes from
which data source. You may take data from population reference books or credible websites, but be sure
to put all written text into your own words. Please make sure not to plagiarize written material.
Please provide your answers typed, double-spaced, and in the order they appear. Show and interpret all
calculations (note: the calculations do not have to be typed, just be sure to print clearly).
1. Provide a brief demographic and social overview of your country. Describe it in terms of the
quality of life for the average person. What can people generally expect out of life? Are people
poor, rural, agricultural, etc.? (Do not get into fertility, mortality, migration patterns, or
population composition – we will look at these specific issues in later assignments). Try to find
several sources and do not simply rely on encyclopedic accounts of such things as the gross
national product. (Should be roughly 1 or 1.5 pages in length.)
2. Briefly describe the data quality available on your country and how the majority of population
information is obtained (e.g., national census, vital registration, population registers, national
estimates, fertility surveys, etc.). This will take some investigation on your part. Start by
reading the footnotes to your tables and thumbing through the introduction chapter(s) of the
population text(s) that you find. Additional information on both data quality and modes of
observation is provided through United Nations publications. While these sources will take
more time to locate, the information they provide is well worth your time. Remember, the
information is there. It is part of your assignment to find it! It probably will not be obtained
quickly, but you can find it if you keep hunting for it. So keep looking. Do a little detective
work. Keep in mind that part of the goal of this assignment is to get you in to the library (or on-
line) so you can examine current documentation on population statistics. (Should be roughly .5
to 1 page in length.)
3. What is your country's rate of natural increase? (Remember to show all your work and always
interpret your findings when doing calculations.)
4. What is your country’s current rate of growth (in percent)? How long will it take your country's
population to double (or half) in size? Explain how this compares to the world average and other
countries.
5. Which part of the demographic transition best describes your country and why? (Roughly 1
paragraph in length.)
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