Population Forecasting - Main Users / Purpose

Population projections provide information on the projected population at a given point in time. The result provides the basis for many planning steps.

For example, if the planner wishes to analyse and plan developments in the health care sector and the local standard for a hospital is, say, 5 beds per 100 inhabitants. On other hand the capacity of the local hospital is 600 beds, then this would mean that the hospital can handle a town with a capacity of 10,000 people. If the population is projected over a period of ten years then at a nominal growth rate of 2% this would result in a projected population of 12,400. The result is that either the hospital has to be extended or a second hospital has to be built. The same considerations would have to be applied for other social infrastructure.

At the same time, budget allocations have to be made to increase water supply, sewerage treatment and other physical infrastructure, etc.