Demographic Transition Model

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 524.

Why Low death rates?

Why Low Birth rates?

· Availability and affordability of contraception e.g. cheap or free condoms

· Emancipation (freedom) of women (freedom to get an education and work)

· Improved levels of education (especially female)

· Reduced infant mortality

· Introduction of pensions and care homes

· Increasing cost of children

· Delayed marriages and less children

· Anti-natalist policies e.g. China's one child policy

· High cost of raising children

· Improved medical care

· Improved diet and levels of exercises

· Safer environment o war conflicts.

· Improved standards of life- better hygiene

Infant mortality: The number of deaths before the age of 1, per 1000 live births per year.

Life expectancy: The average age that someone is expected to live within a country. Generally women tend to live a few years longer than men.

Stage 1: High fluctuating Birth rates and Death rates, total population remains low.

Stage 2:Rapid fall in the death rates, due to improved medical cares, birth rate stays low, Natural increase in population.

Stage 3: Birth rates also falls dramatically, due to better education availability of contraceptives, death rate falls less rapidly, so birth rate is still higher, so it is natural increase in population.

Stage 4: Low Birthrates and death rates therefor total population remains constantly high.

Stage 5: Birth rate is lower then death rate, natural decrease in population.

A country's population can also be changed by immigration and emigration, but when there is reference to natural change, it only refers to changes caused by birth rates and death rates.

Young Dependents: The number or the percentage of the population under the age of 16.

Old Dependents: The number or the percentage of the population over the age of 65.

Economically Active: People between the ages of 16 and 65. This is basically the working group.

Ageing Population: This is when the proportion of old dependents is increasing. This happens because life expectancy increases, but also because birth rates start to fall. This happens in stage 5 of the DTM (it is currently happening in very developed countries like Japan). A country with an ageing population might have a higher death rate than you expect, because old people eventually die even if there life expectancy is high.