Test Your Knowledge of Demographic Transition Theory and Population Development...

The Demographic Transition Theory and the Stages of Population Development

• The demographic transition theory describes a population cycle that begins with a fall in the death rate, continues with a phase of rapid population growth, and concludes with a decline in the birth rate.
• The theory is based on the actual population trends of advanced countries of the world, and it states that every country passes through different stages of population development.
• According to Blacker, the stages of population development are: the high stationary phase, the early expanding phase, the late expanding phase, the low stationary phase, and the declining phase.
• In the high stationary phase, the country is characterized by high birth and death rates, low population growth, simple agriculture, underdeveloped tertiary sector, low incomes, poverty, illiteracy, ignorance, superstition, fatalism, and large families.
• In the early expanding phase, the economy enters the phase of economic growth, agricultural and industrial productivity increases, means of transport develop, education expands, incomes increase, and the death rate goes down while the birth rate remains stable.
• In the late expanding phase, the birth rate starts declining accompanied by death rates declining rapidly, people adopt the use of contraceptives to limit families, and the population grows at a diminishing rate.
• In the low stationary phase, the fertility rate declines and tends to equal the death rate so that the growth rate of population is stationary, people’s level of income increases, their standard of living rises, education expands, and people adopt family planning devices.
• In the declining phase, death rates exceed birth rates and the population growth declines, and some advanced countries are already approaching this stage.
• The high stationary phase continued in Western Europe approximately up to 1840 and in India and China till 1900.
• The early expanding phase was the stage of the world population up to 1930, and many countries of Africa are still in this stage.
• 20% of the world population was in the late expanding phase in 1930.
• The advanced countries of the world are passing through the low stationary stage.