demographic

demographic — adjective

IPA/ˌdem.əˈɡræf.ɪk/
KK[dˌɛməɡrˈæfɪk]IPA/ˌdem.əˈɡræf.ɪk/
  • demographicpositive
  • more demographiccomparative
  • most demographicsuperlative

1. relating to the study of human populations, including their size, age structure,

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

relating to the study of human populations, including their size, age structure, distribution, and how different groups within a society compare with one another.

Example

The hospital used demographic data to decide where to open new clinics.

collocation: demographic data

Demographic studies show that more people now live in cities than in rural areas.

collocation: demographic study

Common collocations
  • demographic data
  • demographic change
  • demographic trend
  • demographic shift
  • demographic profile
  • demographic analysis
  • demographic information
Synonyms
  • population

    used as an adjective in similar contexts, but more general; 'population data' can include total counts, while 'demographic data' focuses on group composition

  • sociodemographic

    more formal and combines social and demographic factors; less common in everyday writing

Grammar Patterns

demographic + noun

Usage Note

Adjective is almost always used attributively — before nouns like data, change, trend, study, and analysis. Common in academic papers, policy reports, and news articles about population issues.

Common Mistakes

She studies demographic at university.
She studies demography at university.
The academic field is demography, not demographic.
The demographic report was about the city's economy.
The demographic report was about the city's age and income patterns.
Demographic reports focus on population traits, not general economics.

demographic — noun

IPA/ˌdeməˈɡræfɪk/
KK[dˌɛməɡrˈæfɪk]IPA/ˌdeməˈɡræfɪk/

Word family

  • demography
    nounB2
  • demographer
    nounC1
  • demographically
    adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Demographic, audience, market, and segment all refer to groups of people, but they differ in what defines the group. A demographic is defined by statistical traits such as age, income, or education — for example, 'the 25–40 age demographic'. An audience is defined by what people watch, read, or listen to — 'the show's audience is mostly young adults'. A market emphasises purchasing activity and economic potential — 'the luxury car market is growing in Asia'. A segment is a deliberate sub-division of a larger group based on specific criteria chosen by a researcher or business — 'the company divided its customers into four segments'. In business writing, demographic is used when the focus is on who people are; audience when the focus is on what content they consume; market when the focus is on buying behaviour; and segment when the group was divided for analysis.

audience ↗market ↗segment ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • demographically

Phrases

  • demographic breakdown
  • demographic composition

Prepositions

Etymology

GreekFrenchEnglish

Demographic comes from demography, which was formed in the 19th century from the Greek word dēmos meaning 'people' and -graphia meaning 'description' or 'writing'. The adjective demographic was first used in English in the 1880s, and the noun uses developed later in the 1900s as businesses and governments began to use population statistics for planning and marketing.