Demographic Transition in The Middle Age of The Population of the People in Al-‎Anbar Province (1997-2023)‎

Abstract

Aims: The current study aimed to investigate the amount of demographic ‎transformation in one of the age structure indicators, the median age of the ‎population of Anbar Governorate between the period of 1997 and 2023. It ‎also aimed to test the direction of change. Methodology: To follow the ‎phenomenon of median age historically, the research adopted the historical ‎approach. To analyze and interpret the phenomenon and its relationship to ‎other demographic variables, the descriptive approach was also adopted. The ‎study also adopted official data from the 1997 general population census from ‎the Ministry of Planning. The research sample consisted of (2400) individuals ‎‎(families), distributed as (1400) in urban areas and (1000) in rural areas. ‎Results: The results showed that the demographic transition for the median age ‎was evident during the research period between 1997 to 2023. The results ‎indicated that the demographic transition increased by approximately six years, ‎in both urban and rural areas alike. The results also indicated that this may be ‎due to a decline in the birth rate, which resulted in a decrease in the relative ‎representation of the age group (0-14) years, followed by an increase in the ‎relative representation of the middle-aged group (15-64) years, the elderly ‎group (65 years and older), and an increase in the life expectancy of the ‎population. Conclusions: It can be concluded that there are number of factors ‎have contributed to the change in age structure indicators, with the relative ‎overrepresentation of the middle-aged (14-64) and elderly (65 years and older) ‎categories, and the consequently decreased relative representation of the young ‎‎(0-14) age group. These factors include: The decline in the birth rate and the ‎increase in life expectancy. Additionally, the median age has declined, ‎increasing by more than five years between 1997 and 2023.‎

Keywords

• demographic transition
• median age