- Stage One:
- Birth Rate: High
- Death Rate: High
- What's going on? Why?: Pre-industrial society; high birth rates offset high infant mortality and short life expectancy due to lack of medicine, sanitation, and food security.
- Total Population: Low and stable
- Examples: Pre-18th century Europe, some remote tribal societies today
- Stage Two:
- Birth Rate: High
- Death Rate: Rapidly falling
- What's going on? Why?: Industrialization begins; improvements in public health, sanitation, and food supply reduce death rates, especially infant mortality, while birth rates remain high.
- Total Population: Rapidly increasing
- Examples: 19th-century Europe, many developing countries in the mid-20th century (e.g., India, Mexico)
- Stage Three:
- Birth Rate: Falling
- Death Rate: Low and continuing to fall slowly
- What's going on? Why?: Economic development, urbanization, increased access to education (especially for women), and family planning lead to lower birth rates. Death rates remain low due to continued healthcare advances.
- Total Population: Still increasing but slowing
- Examples: Late 20th-century Latin America, East Asia (e.g., South Korea, Brazil)
- Stage Four:
- Birth Rate: Low
- Death Rate: Low
- What's going on? Why?: Completed industrialization and modernization; cultural shifts toward smaller families, widespread access to contraception, and higher cost of raising children result in low birth rates matching low death rates.
- Total Population: Stable or very slow growth
- Examples: Most developed countries today (e.g., Germany, Japan, Canada)
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of demographic transition model worksheet.
