Reasons for low birth and death rates: Developed countries

(6) Reasons for low birth rate:

• Birth control is widely practised

• Lower infant mortality rate

• Increased literacy rate and mechanisation

• Economic development, industrialisation and urbanisation

• Increased desire for material possession

• Women are more educated and liberated

Birth control is widely practised

• Abortion, sterilisation and use of contraceptives

• Government gives incentives to keep birth rate low

Lower infant mortality rate

• Less pressure to have so many children

Increased literacy rate

• Fewer labourers are needed

Economic development industrialisation and urbanisation

• More people work in offices and factories

• Children are not permitted to work until they are much older

Increased desire for material possession

• Cars and luxury items, preferences for leisure pursuits such as holidays

• It is easier to achieve and maintain a higher standard of living when the family is small

Women are more educated and liberated

• Women do not see their role as that of only bearing children

• More women are unwilling to give up their careers to start a family early

  • Shorter child-bearing years mean lower birth rates

• Some choose to have fewer children to none

• Some choose to remain single

(8) Reasons for low death rate:

• Modern and readily available services

• Increase in land productivity and food production

• Good hygiene and sanitation

• Advanced medical and health services

• Knowledge about healthy living, good diet and exercise

• Lower population densities and improvement in living conditions

• Increasing wealth and standard of living

• Political stability and internal security and low accidents rates

Modern and readily available services

Clean water, electricity and sanitation minimise the transmission of water-borne diseases and the occurrence of epidemics

Increase in land productivity and food production

• Employment of scientific methods of cultivation ensured a reliable food supply.

• Starvation and famine are alleviated.

Advanced medical and health services

better health care result in low infant mortality rate, mortality rate and high life expectancy.

Lower population densities and improvement in the living conditions

Contagious diseases such as diarrhoea and respiratory infections are under control.

Increasing wealth and standard of living

• Has access to medical & health services

• Can afford health care services

Political stability and internal security and low accident rates

• less warfare, religious and cultural conflicts

• small numbers of road accidents