Question

Describe the demographic transition that tends to occur as development takes place and why it occurs.

Answer 1

Ans)- Demographic transition: In poor countries death rate, especially among children are very high (due to the greater incidence of famine, under-nutrition, and disease, as well as difficult condition of sanitation and hygience) as well as Birth rates also high (due to the lack of education or awareness).

The combination of high birth rate and death rate actually serves to keep net population growth rate.

With an increase in living standards, Death rate starts to fall but Birth rate adjust relatively slowly to this transformation in Death rates. This causes population growth rate to initially shoot up. But in the long run with further development, Birth rate begins their downward adjustment and population growth rates fall to a low level once again.

This behaviour (inverse 'U'- shaped population growth) is reffered as demographic transition.

Graph below shows the trend of demographic transition-

low hoph growth Birth rake (BR) Death Rate (DR) High population growth again low level of hopn growth 0 level of development population growth (U - shaped curve growth Rate curve 0