| Term | Definition |
| Land degradation | Long term damage to the soil's ability to support life |
| Overpopulation | A situation in which the number of people in an area exceeds the capacity of the environment to support life at a decent standard of living |
| Crude Birth Rate (CBR) | The number of live births in a year for every 1,000 people alive in a society |
| carrying capacity | The number of people, other living organisms, or crops that a region can support without environmental degradation |
| Physiological Density | The number of people per unit of area of arable land, which is land suitable for agriculture |
| Ecumene | The portion of Earths surface occupied by permanent human settlement |
| Sex ratio | The number of males per 100 females in the population |
| Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) | The total number of deaths in a year among infants under one year old per 1000 live births in a society |
| Census | an official count of survey of a population, typically recording various details of individuals. Taken every 10 years |
| Arithmetic density | Total number of people divided by the total land area |
| Population density | A measurement of the number of people per given unit of land |
| Population distribution | Description of locations on Earth's surface where populations live |
| Zero population growth (ZPG) | A decline of total fertility rate to the point where the natural increase rate equals zero |
| Crude Death Rate (CDR) | The number deaths in a year per 1,000 people alive in a society |
| Arable | land capable of beining plowed and used to grow crops |
| Demography | The scientific study of population characteristics |
| Life expectancy | The average number of years an individual can be expected to live given current social, medical, and economic conditions. Life expectancy at birth is the average number of years a newborn infant can expect to live. |
| Natural Increase Rate (NIR) | The percentage growth of a population in a year, computed as the crude birth rate minus the crude death rate. NIR =CBR-CDR |
| Total Fertility Rate (TFR) | The average number of children a women will have throughout there childbearing years. |
| Maternal Mortality Rate | The annual number of female deaths per 100,000 live births from any cause related to or aggravated by pregnancy or its managment |
| Agricultural Density | The ratio of the number of farmers to the total amount of land suitable for agriculture |
| Population doubling time | The number of years it takes a population to double, calculated by dividing the number 72 by the rate of natural increase |
