When the difference between the birth rate and the death rate of a po…

The correct answer is Option (1) → stabilised

Option (1) stabilised — Correct. The gap between the birth rate and the death rate is the rate of natural increase. When this gap is zero or very small, the population is said to have stabilised, or reached the replacement level.

Option (2) entered negative growth — Incorrect. Negative growth means fertility has fallen below the replacement rate, so the population shrinks, as in Japan, Russia, Italy and Eastern Europe. A zero gap means the population holds steady.

Option (3) entered the transitional stage — Incorrect. In the transitional stage the death rate falls fast but the birth rate stays high. The gap is then very wide, so growth is very high.

Option (4) reached its demographic dividend — Incorrect. The demographic dividend is the gain a country gets from a large share of working-age people. It comes from the age structure of the population and does not measure the gap between birth and death rates.