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Prepositions with nouns

How to use prepositions with population

Population combines with several prepositions depending on meaning. The most common are population of a place and population in an area.

Quick answer

Choosing the right preposition with population

Use population of to name a place or group: the population of Brazil. Use population in for people living inside an area: population in rural regions. Population with and population for are uncommon and usually belong to wider expressions.

The population of Canada is growing.
There is a younger population in the city now.
The report focused on population changes.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
population of + place

Naming the people in a place

Use of to identify the country, city, region, or species being discussed.

The population of Tokyo is very large.
Scientists studied the population of whales in the area.
2
population in + area

Describing people within an area

Use in when talking about people living inside a location.

The population in coastal towns has increased.
Healthcare improved for the population in remote villages.
3
impact on population

Showing effects or influence

Use on after nouns such as effect, impact, pressure, or influence.

The drought had a serious impact on population growth.
Researchers measured the effect on population density.
4
population with + feature

Describing a group by a characteristic

Population with is used when a population has a specific quality or condition.

A population with high income levels was surveyed.
The study examined a population with limited healthcare access.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
population of
The population of the island is declining.
Names the place or group being measured.
population in
Population in urban areas is rising.
Refers to people living inside a place.
population on
The report on population trends was published yesterday.
On usually belongs to another noun such as report or study, not directly to population.
population with
Doctors worked with a population with chronic illnesses.
Describes a population that has a certain feature.
population for
The government created housing for the growing population.
For usually introduces purpose or benefit, not a fixed combination with population.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using in instead of of for statistics

Use population of when giving the population of a country or city.

✕ The population in France is increasing. ✓ The population of France is increasing.

Treating on population as a direct noun phrase

On usually depends on another noun such as study or debate.

✕ The on population changed quickly. ✓ The study on population changed policy discussions.

Using for directly after population

Population for is not a standard fixed combination.

✕ The population for the city is two million. ✓ The population of the city is two million.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The population ___ India is over one billion.
2. Population ___ rural areas has fallen.
3. The report focused ___ population growth.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the most common preposition with population?

Of is the most common, especially in phrases like the population of a city or country.

Can I use population in?

Yes. It is used for people living within an area, such as population in urban regions.

Is population for correct?

Not usually as a direct combination. For normally introduces purpose or benefit in a larger structure.

of, about, against, to or for racism? of, about, for, in or on friendship? of, about, for, on or to thing? of, about, for, to or with sex? of, about, on, to or for moon? "of access" or "with access"? "of accommodation" or "for accommodation"? "of accuracy" or "for accuracy"? "of action" or "in action"? "of actor", "with actor" or "by actor"? "of address" or "to address"? "of administration" or "in administration"?

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