Question

Most population pyramids for western European countries, such as Germany above, reflect an age structure that is

(A) very young, with most citizens at young ages, and very few at middle and older ages
(B) primarily middle-aged with an increasingly large number of older people
(C) primarily middle-aged with very few citizens at young or old ages
(D) very old, with most citizens falling in age groups above 60
(E) evenly balanced, with almost as many people 55 and older as 15 or younger

Answer 1

Western European countries such as Germany generally have a primarily middle-aged population with an increasingly large number of older people, represented by a conical population pyramid indicating slow population growth.

Step-by-step explanation:

The population pyramids for western European countries such as Germany typically reflect an age structure that is primarily middle-aged with an increasingly large number of older people. These structures indicate that there are fewer young and reproductive-aged individuals compared to older age groups.

The shape of population pyramids in these regions tends to be more conical, representing slow growth, and in some cases, like Italy, zero population growth. This scenario is observed in developed countries where living conditions allow individuals to live to an old age, and there is generally a low birth rate.

In contrast, countries with rapid population growth have a pyramidal shape with a preponderance of younger individuals, as seen in underdeveloped countries where a high birth rate is coupled with less-than-optimal living conditions leading to a shorter life expectancy.