totalpopulasjonen

Totalpopulasjonen is a term used in demography to denote the total number of individuals in a defined population at a specific point in time. It can refer to a country, region, city, or institution, and may be defined in different ways depending on the context, such as residents or inhabitants or both. The concept is distinct from population density, which measures how many people live per unit of area.

Measuring the total population relies on several data sources. Censuses provide a comprehensive count at intervals of several years, while population registers and administrative data can offer more frequent updates. Between censuses, estimates use information on births, deaths, and migration, often supplemented by statistical models. In international comparisons, definitions may vary, with terms like de facto (where people are present temporarily) and de jure (where people are legally registered) affecting the counted total.

The total population is a foundational input for planning and policy. It informs needs assessments for housing, schools, healthcare, and infrastructure, and it is used to compute per-capita indicators and to analyze demographic trends such as growth, aging, and migration patterns. Data quality and timeliness vary by country and data system; common challenges include undercounting, coverage errors, and discrepancies between residency definitions across sources.

In practice, the total population is often reported alongside demographic details such as age structure, sex distribution, and geographic distribution, to provide a fuller picture of a population’s size and composition. See also census, demographic statistics, and population density.