Population density
- ICSE Class 10, Unit 5 Population
Population density is the number of people living in each unit of area, usually each square kilometre.
Two places can have the same number of people and feel very different. A city packs them close together. A desert spreads them thin. Population density shows this by sharing the people out over the land.
To find it, divide the number of people by the area they live on:
- Population density = number of people ÷ area in square kilometres.
- The answer is in people per square kilometre.
A small example
A town of 50,000 people covers 25 square kilometres. Its density is 50,000 ÷ 25 = 2,000 people per square kilometre. A village of 5,000 people on 50 square kilometres has a density of 100. The town is twenty times as crowded.
High density puts pressure on housing, water, roads and clean air. That is why the syllabus places it beside birth rate in the study of population.
Where marks go
A marking scheme gives marks for the named parts of an answer. A short definition, even one worth 1 mark, must carry every part.
A full definition still has two parts: the number of people, and the unit of area, such as a square kilometre. "How crowded a place is" leaves out the area. See value points.
Sources
Facts last checked against these sources on 30 September 2026.
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