Population Forecasting - Advantages and Limitations

Population projections give an indication on how many people will need goods and services in a given time in a given place or region. It provides the basis for calculating the future land use needs. The larger the area, the better the forecast results will be. It can be calculated easily.

The “better” the projection, the more specific data is needed for the calculation. It gives only an indication of the future population, never an exact figure. The calculation is based on assumptions that might change over time. The migration component of population forecasts depends on many variables so that this data is extremely difficult to calculate. The smaller the place the more unreliable the forecast will be.