The Demographic Transition -

REDUX

Stage 1•High birth and death rates•Low rate of natural increase•Socioeconomic factors:

• Short life expectancy•People have more kids to increase survival of some children

Stage 2•High birth rate; death rate starts declining•High rate of natural increase•Socioeconomic factors:

• Increasing life expectancy as death rate declines•Medical advances, sanitation improvements, access to food and clean water

Stage 3 Late Industrial•Birth rate starts declining; death rate continues to decline•Declining rate of natural increase•Socioeconomic factors:

• Social changes as people realize don’t need large families•Population growth starts to decline as result

Stage 4 Post Industrial•Birth rates and death rates both low•Low rate of natural increase (RNI)•Socioeconomic factors:

• Access of education and employment for women is associated with low birth rates, as is a higher standard of living.

Rate of Natural Increase

The Result

The country will transition from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates.

The RNI transitions from low, high, declining, to low.

The population of a country transitions from low at the start of the demographic transition to high at the end.

Summary

The demographic transition explains the transition of a population from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates.

The changes we see are a result of urbanization and industrialization.

The two big socioeconomic changes are: Technological advances – drops in death rates

showing everywhere. Changes in social customs resulting in declining

birth rates…still waiting.