Describe three characteristics of this projected population structure.

Characteristic 1:

Characteristic 2:

Characteristic 3:

Estimate the difference, in millions, between the projected numbers of males and females in the 75–79 age group.

Suggest two reasons for the difference estimated in (b)(i).

Reason 1:

Reason 2:

Suggest two reasons why governments need population projections.

Reason 1:

Reason 2:

Any three valid, distinct and descriptive points of the structure for [3].
Quantification/use of data from the x/horizontal axis must be present for full marks.

Possible characteristics include:

• ageing or greying population
• few young dependents
• small economically active group
• imbalanced gender ratio in the ageing cohorts
• youthful gender ratio is more balanced.

Comments on rates (birth rates falling), trends (old age population growing) or life expectancy (females living longer), etc, are explanations as opposed to description and should not be credited.

Approximately 0.5 million more females than males [1] (accept 0.4 to 0.6).

Answers need to address why females live longer than males – they can be generic or specific to Japan.

Award [1] for each valid and distinct reason, and [1] for development and/or exemplification.

For example: Men tend to engage in more risky occupations (civilian) [1], eg mining, construction, thereby increasing their mortality rate [1].

Other possibilities include:

• most armed forces are mainly men / combat increases mortality
• high-risk occupations
• lifestyle choices (smoking, drinking, diet)
• females use preventative health measures – proactive health screenings, counselling and maintenance to prevent future illness and treatment, improved maternal mortality
• biological/physiological make-up of men compared to women – eg males have more visceral fat (more dangerous) / females have more subcutaneous fat / more active female immune functioning / the protective effect of estrogen / compensatory effects of the second X chromosome
• crime-related factors / high-risk behaviour.

It is important that the two factors are distinct and NOT a similar reason developed twice.

In each case, award [1] for a valid reason, and [1] for further development/detail.

Possibilities include:

• ability to estimate future state revenue from taxes / size of future working population
• size of potential armed forces / age and sex ratio of future population
• allocation of services in the future / eg, elderly care for ageing population, nursery provision, housing provision
• healthcare planning
• need to apply or modify anti- or pro-natalist policies / if population shrinking or growing too large
• change of migration policies / if economically active population is shrinking
• need to provide more future employment opportunities.
• inform business projections due to requirement of various goods and services by the population.