The table below gives information about past and projected population figures in various countries for different years.Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
| Population (in millions) | |||||
| Country | 1990 | 1993 | 2000 | 2020 | 2050 |
| Australia | 17.1 | 17.7 | 19.2 | 22.7 | 26.0 |
| Canada | 26.6 | 28.5 | 31.0 | 36.9 | 39.0 |
| New Zealand | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 4.7 |
| United States | 249.9 | 258.2 | 275.1 | 320.6 | 349.0 |
Sample Answers
The table shows population figures for four countries from 1990 to 2000 and projected growth for 2020 and 2050.
The country with the lowest population and the lowest projected growth rate in New Zealand with 3.4m in 1990, rising to 3.8m in 2000 and expected to increase to 4.7m in 2050. The United States has a similar growth rate but a much larger population, starting at 249.9m in 1990, reaching 275.1m in 2000 and anticipated to increase by almost 100m over the 60-year period.
Canada’s population rose from 26.6m to 31.0m between 1990 and 2000 and is expected to have increased by 50% from where it was in 1990 by 2050. The highest growth rate occurs in Australia, where the population grew by 2.1m to reach 19.2m in 2000 and is predicted to reach 26.0m by 2050.
Overall, the countries represented had, and are forecast to have, fairly stable rates of growth over the period although their total populations differ markedly.
Vocabulary
- The table shows
- Projected growth
- Expected to increase
- A similar growth rate
- Anticipated to increase by
- Rose from
- Expected to have increased
- The highest growth rate occurs in
- Predicted to reach
- Forecast to have
- Fairly stable rates of growth
- Differ markedly
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