Which of the following statements are true for the Theory of 'Demographic Transitions'?
A. Population growth always outstrips growth in production of subsistence resources
B. Population growth is linked to overall levels of economic development
C. Growth rates are low in the first stage because both the death rate and the birth rate are very high
D. The second stage is characterised by very high rates of growth of population
E. The third stage is that of low population growth in an underdeveloped society
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → B, C, D only
A. Population growth always outstrips growth in production of subsistence resources Incorrect. This is the argument of Malthus’s theory, which held that population grows in geometric progression while food grows only in arithmetic progression. The theory of demographic transition does not say this; it links population growth to the level of development.
B. Population growth is linked to overall levels of economic development Correct. The theory suggests that population growth is linked to overall levels of economic development and that every society follows a typical pattern of development-related population growth.
C. Growth rates are low in the first stage because both the death rate and the birth rate are very high Correct. The first stage is one of low growth in an underdeveloped, technologically backward society. Both rates are very high, so the difference between them, the net growth rate, is low.
D. The second stage is characterised by very high rates of growth of population Correct. Between the first and the last stage lies a transitional stage, characterised by very high rates of growth. Death rates fall quickly through disease control, public health and better nutrition, but birth rates take longer to fall, so there is a ‘population explosion’.
E. The third stage is that of low population growth in an underdeveloped society Incorrect. The third and last stage is one of low growth in a developed society, where both the death rate and the birth rate have come down. Low growth in an underdeveloped society describes the first stage, not the third.
NCERT (2025-26): “The Theory of Demographic Transition … Another significant theory in demography is the theory of demographic transition. This suggests that population growth is linked to overall levels of economic development and that every society follows a typical pattern of development-related population growth. There are three basic stages of population growth.…” “…The first stage is that of low population growth in a society that is underdeveloped and technologically backward. Growth rates are low because both the death rate and the birth rate are very high, so that … the difference between the two (or the net growth rate) is low.…” “…The third (and last) stage is also one of low growth in a developed society where both death rate and birth rate have been reduced considerably and the difference between them is again small. Between these two stages is a transitional stage of movement from a backward to an advanced stage, and this stage is characterised by very high rates of growth of population. This ‘population explosion’ happens because death rates are brought down relatively quickly through advanced methods of disease control, public health, and better nutrition. However, it takes longer for society to adjust to change and alter its reproductive behaviour (which was evolved during the period of poverty and high death rates) to suit the new situation of relative prosperity and longer life spans.…” |