Demographic Transition Model

Demographic Transition Model

1. stage 1- high fluctuating

   • high birth and death rates
   • small population growth
   • short life expectancy
   • rapid fall in upward age groups

2. stage 2- early expanding

   • high birth rates
   • rapid fall in death rates
     • improved facilities
     • decrease in child mortality
   • middle-aged, working people
   • longer life expectancy

3. stage 3- late expanding

   • birth rates also begin to fall quite rapidly
     • slowly increasing population
     • family planning
     • low infant mortality
       • less pressure to have more!
   • higher elderly population

4. stage 4- low fluctuating

   • birth and death rates remain low
   • steady population
   • high depedency ratio

5. stage 5...

   • declining population
     • couples marrying etc. later on
     • birth rate lower than death rate

6. problems...

   • eurocentric... assuming all countries will pass through the same 4 stages
     • unlikely that LEDC's like Africa will become industrialised
   • doesnt give reasons for change in trends eg drop in death rate, can only assume

7. benefits...

   • shows how population growth of a country changes over time
   • comparative between countries