Consider the following specific stages of demographic transition associated with economic developmen

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UPSC Prelims is a competitive examination conducted in India. This question is from the 2012 UPSC Prelims Geography paper.

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Question

Consider the following specific stages of demographic transition associated with economic development:Low birthrate with low death rate.High birthrate with high death rate.High birthrate with low death rate.Select the correct order of the above stages using the codes given below:

Accepted Answer

Correct Answer: C — 2, 3, 1Solution:The Demographic Transition Model (DTM) describes how countries' birth rates and death rates change as they develop economically. The standard model has four stages:Stage 1 (Pre-industrial/Traditional societies): High birthrate + High death rate → This corresponds to Statement 2. Both birth and death rates are high, keeping population growth slow. High death rates are due to disease, famine, poor sanitation, and lack of modern medicine. High birth rates are culturally and economically driven (need for agricultural labour, insurance against child mortality). This is the initial state of all pre-modern societies.Stage 2 (Early development — Beginning of industrialisation): High birthrate + Low death rate → This corresponds to Statement 3. Death rates fall rapidly due to improvements in public health, medicine, sanitation, and food supply — but birth rates remain high (cultural norms change slowly). Result: rapid population growth — this is the 'population explosion' stage. Most developing countries today are in this transition.Stage 3 (Late development — Industrialised societies): Low birthrate + Low death rate → This corresponds to Statement 1. Birth rates eventually fall as: urbanisation increases (children are economic liabilities in cities), women get education and employment, family planning becomes accessible, and mortality rates are low so fewer children are needed to ensure family continuation. Population growth slows.Chronological order: Stage 1 (High-High) → Stage 2 (High-Low) → Stage 3 (Low-Low) = 2 → 3 → 1.Key Concept: The Demographic Transition Model was first formulated by Warren Thompson (1929) and developed by Frank Notestein (1945). Stage 4 (post-demographic transition): Very low or declining birth rates + low death rates → population stabilisation or decline (Western Europe, Japan). India's demographic position: India is transitioning from Stage 2 to Stage 3 — birth rates are falling (TFR dropped from 6 in 1950 to ~2 in 2022) while death rates remain low. India's demographic dividend window (large working-age population) is expected to remain until about 2045, after which an ageing population will pose new challenges. Southern states (Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh) are already in Stage 3-4, while Bihar and UP remain in Stage 2-3.

Consider the following specific stages of demographic transition associated with economic development:Low birthrate with low death rate.High birthrate with high death rate.High birthrate with low death rate.Select the correct order of the above stages using the codes given below:

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Consider the following specific stages of demographic transition associated with economic development:Low birthrate with low death rate.High birthrate with high death rate.High birthrate with low death rate.Select the correct order of the above stages using the codes given below:

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More Questions from Population Distribution, Migration & Urbanisation

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