noun
1
DUBIOUS : The inhabitants certainly know how to make money from tourists.
GOOD : The local inhabitants certainly know how to make money from tourists.
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The inhabitants of a particular town, country or area are the people who live there, especially considered in terms of quantity or history: 'Just ten years ago the town had only 12,000 inhabitants.' 'The first inhabitants of the island planted coffee beans.'
To refer to the people living in and around a village or town, who have shared interests and activities, use local inhabitants/local residents/ local population or (in informal styles) locals : 'The local residents are against the motorway proposal.'
2
BAD : The rapid growth of the world's inhabitants has produced serious social and economic problems.
GOOD : The rapid growth of the world's population has produced serious social and economic problems.
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To refer to all the people in the world, or all the people living in a particular country, city, town etc, use population : 'Half the world's population doesn't have enough to eat.' 'To make it profitable, about a third of the population of France will have to visit Eurodisney each year.' 'The town has a population of 15,000.'