Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 19.djvu/534

Table I. (p. 513 supra), taken from Haushofer’s work (Lehr- u. Handbuch, p. 90, note 1), will show how greatly the estimates of the world’s population have varied since people first began to make them. We venture to say that any person of fair intelligence and ordinary education would, even without any statistical training, come to the conclusion that there was nothing certain to be known on the subject which these figures profess to illustrate. The fact that Behm and Wagner’s latest estimate is less than that published by them two years previously shows how difficult the subject is. We should add that the reasons given by them for this discrepancy, for even a tyro would have expected a slight increase, are quite satisfactory, and add to our confidence in that part of the investigation for which they profess to give figures approximating to accuracy.

According to Behm and Wagner (Die Bevölkerung der Erde, vii.) the following (Table II.) may be taken as the population of the sections of the world indicated in June 1882:^[1]—

	Area in Square Kilometres.	Inhabitants.
		Number.	Per Sq. Kilo.	Per Sq. Mile.
Europe	9,730,576	327,743,400	34·0	88·0
Asia	44,580,850	795,591,000	18·0	46·6
Africa	29,823,253	205,823,200	7·0	18·1
America	38,473,138	100,415,400	2·6	6·7
Australasia	...	...	...	...
Polynesia	8,952,855	4,232,000	0·5	1·3
Polar regions	4,478,200	82,500	...	...
Total	136,038,872	1,433,887,500	10·5	27·1

Sex.—The obstacles which make it difficult to attain even an approximate statement of the population of the world prevent us from obtaining any accurate knowledge whatever as to the sexual constitution of that population. We have, however, tolerably accurate information on this subject for most of the countries of Europe, for the United States, and for Canada. From the figures available it is evident that no general proposition can be laid down on the subject of the normal proportion of females to males, except that in so-called “old” countries there is usually a slight excess of the former.

Table III.—Statement of the Number of Females living in the under- mentioned Countries for every Thousand Males in the Year mentioned (Haushofer, p. 216):—
	Year.	Females to each 1000 Males.
German Empire	1875	1,036
England and Wales	1871	1,054
Scotland	〃	1,096
Ireland	〃	1,044
Denmark	1870	1,026
Norway	1865	1,036
Sweden	1870	1,067
Austria	1869	1,041
Hungary	〃	1,002
Italy	1870	989
Switzerland	〃	1,046
France	1872	1,008
Belgium	1866	995
Holland	1869	1,029
United States	1870	972
Canada	〃	939

The census of England and Wales for 1881 gave 1055 females to 1000 males. A slight tendency to an increase in the proportion is perceptible in some countries, and to a decrease in others, as the following table (IV.) given by Wappäus and quoted by Haushofer (p. 217) will show. The reader will observe that Wappäus’s figures are the proportions to 100, not to 1000, as in Table III.

	Year.	Females to 100 Males.			Year.	Females to 100 Males.
England	1851	104·16		Sweden	1850	106·40
Scotland	〃	110·02		France	1851	101·12
Ireland	〃	103·37		Belgium	1846	100·47
Denmark	1850	103·30		Holland	1849	103·96
Norway	1855	104·14		United States	1850	95·05

The 1880 census of the United States states the proportion of females to males at 96·54 per cent., which is rather smaller than that shown in 1870 (97·2 per cent.); but immigration is still a potent factor in the growth of the population of that country.

With regard to the causes of the excess of females, as in most other social phenomena, our knowledge is very small at present. The reason for the broad distinction between Europe and North America is pretty obvious. New countries are continually receiving many male and fewer female immigrants. Probably also, life being very rough in the more unsettled portions of such countries, the rate of mortality among females is a little higher than in places where women can receive more protection from hardship. On the other hand, even in Europe men run many risks to which women are not exposed. The subject is a very interesting one, but cannot be adequately treated except at much greater length than is possible here, and we must refer our readers to special works for further information.

Table V.—Statement of the “Age Scale” (Altersaufbau) of the Population of in each of the undermentioned Countries; showing by Semi-Decennial Periods up to 30 Years, and Decennial Periods subsequently, the Number of Persons of each Age out of every Thousand Persons in the Population.
		0–5.	5–10.	10–15.	15–20.	20–25.	25–30.	30–40.	40–50.	50–60.	60–70.	70–80.	80–90.	Over 90.
German Empire	1875	134	112	102	95	83	76	134	103	84	51	21	4	0·2
England	1871	135	119	107	96	88	78	128	100	73	47	22	5	0·4
Scotland	〃	136	120	111	100	87	76	122	96	71	49	25	6	0·6
Ireland	〃	120	105	103	116	106	71	103	99	83	61	23	8	1·1
Denmark	1870	124	107	102	93	81	75	130	114	85	56	26	6	0·4
Norway	1865	135	119	106	94	81	70	131	107	67	52	29	7	0·7
Sweden	1870	118	116	106	91	79	73	131	119	85	51	26	5	0·3
Austria	1869	130	108	99	93	85	82	138	113	84	47	16	3	0·2
Hungary	〃	147	115	108	95	82	86	141	106	70	37	11	2	0·3
Italy	1870	115	109	100	90	87	77	115	134	84	57	24	6	0·6
Switzerland	〃	113	106	97	84	81	80	141	119	89	61	24	4	0·2
France	1872	93	91	87	84	88	72	139	125	104	72	36	7	0·4
Belgium	1866	120	105	92	88	84	78	132	112	89	66	27	6	0·4
Holland	1869	130	109	94	92	79	78	135	113	84	53	26	5	0·3
Average for Europe		121	108	100	92	87	78	134	112	85	55	21	5	0·4
United States	1871	140	124	123	105	96	80	128	93	59	33	14	3	0·4
Canada	1861	174	132	123	117	17		110	76	49	29	12	3	0·5
General average		125	111	104	94	166		133	108	81	52	22	5	0·4

1. For more minute information see Petermann’s Mittheilungen, “Ergänzungsheft” No. 69.