What is the growth projection mentioned for the population over the period?

• A. 3.5% over 5 years
• B. 4.78% over 10 years
• C. 6.2% over 12 years
• D. 2.1% over 8 years

Answer: (B)

A population growth projection shows how much the population is expected to increase (or decrease) over a specific time period, expressed as a percentage of the starting population. The key is that the period length matters because the same percentage over different spans means different rates of change.

Here, the data point that matches the given period is 4.78% over 10 years. That means, from the start to the end of the decade, the population is projected to grow by 4.78%. If you think of it as an annual pace, 4.78% over 10 years translates to roughly 0.46% per year on average (since (1.0478)^(1/10) ≈ 1.00465). The other options pair different time horizons (5, 8, or 12 years) with growth percentages, so they don’t align with the stated period.