Difference Between Dependent and Productive Population

The key difference between dependent and productive population is that the dependent population does not work or contribute to the economic development of a country while the productive population works and contributes for the economic development of the country.

Populations can be classified based on different aspects in regards to sociology, biology and economy of a country. Based on the contribution made towards the economic development of a country, there are two types of population namely dependent population and productive population. Dependent population has no contribution towards the economic development of a country and is rather dependent on the society for existence. Productive population or working population is the population that contributes towards the economy of the country through useful occupations. However, both these populations are important in determining the socio-economic aspects of a country or a state.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Dependent Population
3. What is Productive Population
4. Relationship Between Dependent and Productive Population
5. Side by Side Comparison – Dependent  Productive vs Population in Tabular Form
6. Summary

What is Dependent Population?

A dependent population, also known as the non-working category, is the group of people that aged below 15 (children) and above 60 (elderly people). This category consists of unemployed people. Hence, they do not contribute to the economic development of the country. They are highly dependent on the working population of the country for their survival. They fulfil their basic needs such as food, shelter, education, healthcare and transportation by depending on the productive population.

In addition to the above mentioned aged group, sometimes dependent population includes illiterate populations and differently-abled populations as well since they also do not contribute to the economy of a country. When the dependent population of a country increases, it can have a direct impact on the economy and the social standards of the country.

What is Productive Population?

Productive Population or the working population refers to the population that can directly contribute to the economy of the country. This population comprises of people with the age range 15 to 59 years. This category of the population can influence the rapid rise or the decline of the economy of a country.

A country would benefit if the productive population is well educated and has a high literacy level. Hence it is important to provide good education and quality standards of life to obtain good results. The working populations carry the responsibility of the dependent population and have to provide nutrition, shelter, health care and educational needs of the dependent population.

What is the Relationship Between Dependent and Productive Population?

• Both of these populations are important in determining the socio-economic aspects of a country or a state.
• Dependent population relies on productive population for their basic needs.

What is the Difference Between Dependent and Productive Population?

The dependent population is the non-working population of a country. They do not contribute towards the economy of the country. On the other hand, the productive population is the working population of the country. They highly contribute towards the economy of the country by engaging different employments. This is the key difference between dependent and productive population. Moreover, the dependent population depends on productive population for the fulfilment of their basic requirements. Generally, the dependent population includes people who are in the age below 15 and over 60 while the productive population includes peoples who are in the age between 15 to 59 years.

The below infographic presents the difference between dependent and productive population in tabular form.

Summary – Dependent vs Productive Population

Dependent and productive population represent the socio-economic contributions of a population in a country. Dependent population is the non – working category where they are directly dependent on the working category for the fulfilment of their needs. Children and elderly people include into dependent population. In contrast, the productive population is the working group which engages in a variety of occupations to earn their living. The productive population fulfils the basic requirements of the dependent population of the country. This is the difference between dependent and productive population.

Reference:

1.Schatz, Enid, et al. “Dependent or Productive? A New Approach to Understanding the Social Positioning of Older South Africans Through Living Arrangements.” Advances in Pediatrics., U.S. National Library of Medicine, Aug. 2015. Available here  

Image Courtesy:

1.”1470879″ by Regenwolke0 (CC0) via pixabay
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