Question

Explain the main characteristics of ‘demographic cycle’.

Hint:

Quick Tip: Remember the demographic cycle as High–High → High–Low → Low–Low:
Stage I: High birth + High death = Slow growth
Stage II: High birth + Declining death = Rapid growth
Stage III: Low birth + Low death = Slow/stable growth.

 

Answer 1

Main Characteristics of the Demographic Cycle

1. First Stage – High Fertility and High Mortality

• In the first stage, both birth rate and death rate are high.
• People have more children to compensate for deaths caused by epidemics, diseases, poor sanitation and uncertain food supply.
• Medical and healthcare facilities are poorly developed.
• Since both birth and death rates are high, population growth is slow.
• Societies in this stage are generally rural and agrarian, with low levels of economic development.

2. Second Stage – High Fertility and Declining Mortality

• In the second stage, the birth rate remains high, but the death rate starts declining.
• Death rates fall because of improvements in healthcare, sanitation, nutrition and food supply.
• The decline in birth rate is comparatively slow because people's social attitudes toward having large families take time to change.
• As the gap between birth rate and death rate becomes large, the population experiences rapid growth or population explosion.
• This stage is generally associated with a society undergoing economic and technological development.

3. Third Stage – Low Fertility and Low Mortality

• In the third stage, both birth rate and death rate become low.
• The population becomes increasingly urbanised, literate and technologically advanced.
• Families deliberately control their size because children become more expensive to raise and people prefer smaller families.
• Better education, improved status of women, family planning and higher standards of living contribute to the decline in fertility.
• Population growth becomes slow and stable, and in some cases it may approach zero growth.

Conclusion

Thus, the demographic cycle shows a transition from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates as a society develops economically and socially. It has three major stages: high stationary, early expanding/rapid growth, and low stationary. The model helps explain the relationship between population change and economic development.