Demographic Transition

What is demographic transition?

It explains the transformation of countries from high to low birth rate and death rates as part of the economic development of a country from a pre-industrial to an industrialised state

What is demographic transition on a historical and contemporary perspective?

• Historical perspective = pre-industrial population → industrial population

• Contemporary perspective = low/middle income country → high income country

What does the demographic transition model look like?

When does the demographic transition take place?

• Timing varies

• Europe: mortality decrease in late 1700s, fertility decrease in 1870s (also desire/want for children)

• Low and middle income countries: all seen decrease in mortality in 20th century, fertility decrease varied in 20th century

• Still taking place

What led to the mortality decline in England?

Late 19th and early 20th century due to:

• Improvement in agriculture

• Economic development

• Public health measures

• Sanitation

• Personal hygiene

What are the criticisms of the demographic transition theory?

• Description not theory = just described what happened in Europe historically so assumes everywhere else will be the same

• No time scale

• Suggest fertility is always high in pre-transitional societies

• Fertility decline takes place under a wide variety of economic, social and demographic settings

• Suggests mortality declines maintained