Consider the following specific stages of demographic transition associated with economic development:

1. Low birth rate with low death rate
2. High birth rate with high death rate
3. High birth rate with low death rate

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

1. 1, 2, 3
2. 2, 1, 3
3. 2, 3, 1
4. 3, 2, 1

Explanation

Option (c) is correct

• Demographic transition theory can be used to predict the future population of any area. The theory tells us that the population of any region changes from high births and high deaths to low births and low deaths as society progresses from rural agrarian and illiterate to urban industrial and literate society.
• These changes occur in stages, which are collectively known as the demographic cycle.
  1. The first stage has high fertility and high mortality because people reproduce more to compensate for the deaths due to epidemics and variable food supply. Population growth is slow, and most people are engaged in agriculture.
  2. Fertility remains high at the beginning of the second stage, but it declines with time. Improvements in sanitation and health conditions lead to a decline in mortality. Because of this gap, the net addition to the population is high.
  3. In the last stage, both fertility and mortality decline considerably. The population is either stable or grows slowly.

Answer: (c) 2, 3, 1; Difficulty Level: Easy