underpopulation

IPA/ˌʌndəpˌɒpjʊlˈeɪʃən/
IPA/ˌʌndɚpˌɑːpjʊlˈeɪʃən/

underpopulation — 名詞

1. a situation in which a country, region, or town has too few people living in it

1.名詞B2
釋義

人口不足

居民太少、影響經濟社會發展

a situation in which a country, region, or town has too few people living in it for its economy or society to work well — for example, when young adults leave a village and the remaining population cannot keep local shops, schools, or clinics open.

例句

Silver Creek has struggled with underpopulation since the copper mine closed in 1998.

自 1998 年銅礦關閉以來，Silver Creek 一直面臨人口不足的問題。

underpopulation + specific cause (mine closure)

Many schools in rural Japan have been forced to close because of severe underpopulation.

日本許多鄉村學校因嚴重的人口不足而被迫關閉。

passive: forced to close because of underpopulation

常見搭配
  • severe underpopulation
  • rural underpopulation
  • chronic underpopulation
  • face underpopulation
  • suffer from underpopulation
  • tackle underpopulation
  • fight underpopulation
  • reverse underpopulation
  • underpopulation problem
  • underpopulation crisis
同義詞
  • depopulation

    emphasises the process of people leaving, whereas underpopulation describes the resulting condition; depopulation can be caused by war or disaster, while underpopulation often follows economic shifts

  • population decline

    neutral demographic term; does not carry the same implication of negative social or economic consequences

  • low population density

    describes a purely geographic fact (few people per square km) without implying that the number is too low for good functioning

反義詞
  • overpopulation

    the opposite condition in which too many people live in an area, straining resources

  • overcrowding

    more specific to housing or transport space being insufficient for the number of occupants

文法句型

uncountable noun used without article

用法筆記

Uncountable noun. The word almost always describes a problem or challenge, not a neutral or positive state. Common in demographic, economic, and policy discussions. Frequently used with verbs such as face, cause, lead to, tackle, and suffer from.

常見錯誤

There is an underpopulation in this area.
There is underpopulation in this area.
underpopulation is uncountable and does not take an indefinite article.
Underpopulation means there are not enough people.
Underpopulation refers to a situation in which an area has too few people to support its services and economy.
the first version is too vague; underpopulation implies negative consequences, not just a low headcount.

同根字

常見搭配

名詞搭配

副詞搭配

常用片語

  • face underpopulation
  • tackle underpopulation
  • reverse underpopulation
  • result in underpopulation
  • underpopulation crisis

介系詞搭配

  • underpopulation in [region/town]
  • suffer from underpopulation
  • lead to underpopulation