Human Resources | Class 8 Social Science Notes
By ConceptScroll Team · Published on 17 July 2026 · 4 min read
Human Resources – this guide gives you a concise, exam-ready overview of Human Resources from Class 8 Social Science, written by ConceptScroll editors and reviewed against the latest NCERT textbook.
POPULATION COMPOSITION
Population composition refers to the structure of a population, including characteristics such as age, sex, literacy, health, occupation, and income levels. Understanding population composition is essential to assess the quality of human resources and their potential contribution to society. For instance, two countries may have similar population densities but vastly different economic development levels, as seen in Bangladesh and Japan. Population pyramids are graphical tools used to study population composition by showing the distribution of various age groups subdivided by sex. The base of the pyramid represents children below 15 years, indicating birth rates, while the top represents elderly people above 65 years, reflecting death rates and life expectancy. The shape of the pyramid reveals demographic trends: a broad base and narrow top indicate high birth and death rates (typical of developing countries like Kenya), a broad base with a gradually narrowing top indicates declining death rates and high birth rates (India), and a narrow base with a wider top suggests low birth rates and higher life expectancy (Japan). Population pyramids also help identify the proportion of dependents (young and elderly) versus the working-age population, which is crucial for planning education, healthcare, and employment policies.
📊 Diagram: Figures 5.6, 5.7, 5.8, and 5.9 show population pyramids of the world, Kenya, India, and Japan respectively, illustrating different shapes corresponding to demographic characteristics.
🔗 Connection: This section concludes the chapter by emphasizing the importance of human resources and their development, leading to exercises for reinforcement.
Frequently asked questions
1. Answer the following questions. (i) Why are people considered a resource? (ii) What are the causes for the uneven distribution of population in the world? (iii) The world population has grown very rapidly. Why? (iv) Discuss the role of any two factors influencing population change. (v) What is meant by population composition? (vi) What are population pyramids? How do they help in understanding about the population of a country?
1.(i) People are considered a resource because they contribute to the development of a country through their skills, knowledge, and labor. They are not just consumers but also producers who can improve the economy and society.
(ii) Causes for uneven distribution of population include physical factors like climate, availability of water, soil fertility, and relief; economic factors such as availability of jobs and industrial development; and social factors like political stability and cultural a
2. Tick the correct answer. (i) Which does the term population distribution refer to? (a) How population in a specified area changes over time. (b) The number of people who die in relation to the number of people born in a specified area. (c) The way in which people are spread across a given area. (ii) Which are three main factors that cause population change? (a) Births, deaths and marriage (b) Births, deaths and migration (c) Births, deaths and life expectancy (iii) In 1999, the world population reached (a) 1 billion (b) 3 billion (c) 6 billion (iv) What is a population pyramid? (a) A graphical presentation of the age, sex composition of a population. (b) When the population density of an area is so high that people live in tall buildings. (c) Pattern of population distribution in large urban areas.
(i) (c) The way in which people are spread across a given area. (ii) (b) Births, deaths and migration (iii) (c) 6 billion (iv) (a) A graphical presentation of the age, sex composition of a population.
3. Complete the sentences below using some of the following words. sparsely, favourable, fallow, artificial, fertile, natural, extreme, densely When people are attracted to an area it becomes ... populated Factors that influence this include ... climate; good supplies of ... resources and ... land.
When people are attracted to an area it becomes densely populated. Factors that influence this include favourable climate; good supplies of natural resources and fertile land.
4. Activity Discuss the characteristics of a society with ‘too many under 15s’ and one with ‘too few under 15s’. Hint: need for schools; pension schemes, teachers, toys, wheel chairs, labour supply, hospitals.
A society with too many under 15s will have a high demand for schools, teachers, toys, and pediatric healthcare facilities. It will have a large future labor supply but may face challenges in providing adequate resources and employment opportunities.
A society with too few under 15s will have less demand for schools and child-related services but may face issues like an aging population, increased need for pension schemes, healthcare for elderly (wheel chairs, hospitals), and a shrinking labor
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