Difference Between Population Density & Crowding

Population density and crowding are concepts that are used interchangeably. Although they are related, both represent unique population characteristics. Population density is a measure of distribution over a territory. Crowding is population concentration over a limited available territory.

Population Density

• According to the United States Bureau of the Census, population density is the "total population within a geographic entity (for example, United States, state, county, place) divided by the land area of that entity measured in square kilometers or square miles." The mathematical expression of population density is the "number of people per square miles or square kilometers." However, this measure is crude because it does not take into its analysis several factors that may affect how the population is settled.

Considerations

• Several factors affect how the population is settled through a territory. Two categories are physical factors and human factors. The physical factors include the topography or shape of the land, the natural resources and the climate. The human factors are defined as social, economic and political. Territories with optimal physical conditions will attract population. The same principle applies to political, sociological and economically stable societies and population settlement.

Crowding

• Crowding is a large number of persons gathered closely together. Nina Brown from the Center for Spatially Integrated Social Science summarized Edward Hall's proxemics theory. Crowding occurs when the territory and the space between individuals do not bear acceptable distances. From these definitions, the concept of crowding is a concept of personal and collective perception. However, while density is a discrete measure, crowding is measured indirectly through socio-economical indicators such as number of persons versus housing structures, poverty index and number of people versus access to government services.

Features

• Population density implies a homogeneous distribution. The spatial orientation is lost in the measure. Some factors can lead to crowding unless the society has an adequate system of social planning. Therefore, crowding and population density are related concepts but are not the same.

Insight

• Population density is a discrete measure. It is an overall estimate of population settlement over a given territory. Crowding is a sociological concept. It can be estimated from other mathematical indexes which may give an idea on how organized and planned a society is.