As 2025 comes to a close, let’s take a look at which PopEd resources teachers like you found most useful. The list below includes the ten most-downloaded resources from the Population Education website.
Something new this year is that three of the top 10 resources were infographics. It’s great to see that teachers are utilizing these data visualizations as another way to disseminate this important material. It’s also noteworthy that three of the top 10 resources focus on population pyramids, with the most downloaded resource being our Power of the Pyramids activity. What else were teachers downloading this year? Read on to find out!
1. Power of the Pyramids, lesson plan
Our lesson plan on age structure diagrams, Power of the Pyramids, was once again the most downloaded resource from the PopEd website in 2025. This is likely thanks to AP Human Geography and AP Environmental Science teachers, both of whom cover population pyramids in their courses.
2. 10 Most Populous Countries, infographic
This easy-to-read graph of the 10 Most Populous Countries shows the ten nations with the largest populations. It’s a striking visual of how much larger China and India are than the third largest county, the United States.
3. Panther Hunt, lesson plan
Not only is Panther Hunt a fun simulation that gets students moving, but it can be scaled for elementary grades all the way through high school. Teachers in grades 3 or 4 might choose to focus on the predator-prey relationship and resource scarcity at the local level. High school biology and environmental science teachers use the lesson to model carrying capacity in an ecosystem. And no matter the grade, all teachers use Panther Hunt to bring friendly competition and lively discussion into their classrooms.
4. Average Number of Children Per U.S. Family (Historic), infographic
PopEd resources are created for teachers and with classroom use in mind. But we think the popularity of this infographic showing the average number of children per family in the U.S. over time might be more connected to current events than classroom syllabi. The current administration in the U.S. wants Americans to have more children and that has, perhaps, had more people wondering: how many kids do most Americans currently have?
5. Food for Thought, lesson plan
Iterations of Food for Thought, a secondary global comparison lesson, have been around for decades. This robust activity is centered on current statistical data at the regional level which includes: demographic topics like rate of natural increase and doubling time, quality of life indicators like literacy rate and infant mortality rate, land use statistics on arable land and urbanization, and wealth statistics like GNI and energy use.
6. Earth Day Activities for Middle School, lesson packet
Population Education activities have always been a great fit for Earth Day. We offer grade-specific Earth Day packets for teachers who want to easily grab a curated set of Earth Day lesson plans. The 2025 Earth Day Packet for Middle School includes resources that explore how we produce, use, waste, and need energy. The lessons and readings inspire and guide your students to take informed action individually and push for greater systemic changes.
7. People on the Move, lesson plan
New to the Top Ten list this year is People on the Move, a middle school migration activity. It’s a fun and engaging simulation where students are assigned to various (imaginary) geographic regions and experience push and pull factors based on where they are located. This powerful lesson on why people move is sure to stick with students.
8. Mining for Chocolate, lesson plan
Hands-on? Check. Current and meaningful? Check. Cookies? Check. Mining for Chocolate is another lesson that can be used with a wide range of ages with only minor adjustments. Students consider just how many of their everyday items contain minerals from the Earth and then “mine” a chocolate chip cookie to explore the economic, environmental, and social aspects of mining.
9 and 10. U.S. Population Pyramid (infographic) and Mysteries of the U.S. Pyramids (lesson plan)
Population pyramids round out our top ten list of most popular resources. Mysteries of the U.S. Pyramids is not just a geography lesson, but a history lesson too. Students construct age structure diagrams for the U.S. population at six different points in history starting with 1880. How has the age and sex make-up of the U.S. population changed in the last 250 years? And how might it continue to change in the future? The U.S. Population Pyramid infographic displays the age structure diagram for the United States based on its most recent census data.
Popular Population Resources
So there you have it – the 10 most popular downloads from Population Education this year. But there is one caveat… these were the most popular downloaded resources. So this list doesn’t include one incredibly popular resource, the World Population “dot” video which was viewed over 120,000 times!