Demographic Transition Model (DTM) Questions
1. Do all four countries appear to have gone through, or be going through, the same broad
sequence of demographic change?
Even though the countries are in different stages, the UK and Japan are in stage 4, while
Taiwan and Thailand are in stage 3, it does appear that they are all going through the same
sequence of demographic change in terms of each country having an accelerated growth
time before starting to level plateau out.
2. How do their rates of progress through the model compare and why are they are different?
As the UK was one of the first countries to go trough the demographic transition period it
experienced the slowest growth as it had to come up with and develop all the medicine and
technology. Whereas countries that have developed later did not need to create anything
new and instead could rely on other countries for these which in turn led to a more rapid
progression through the stages of the DTM. Where the UK took around 100 years to go
through stage 2 it took less than 50 years for Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand to go through
stage 2. It could also be that the countries developing later spend longer in stage 3 as the
death rate declines as a quicker pace due to charities and other countries transferring
knowledge and medicines quicker.
3. What demographic change appears to mark the start of stage 2 and stage 3?
Stage 2 begins when the death rate begins to rapidly decline due to improvements in
medicine. This causes the average age of the population to be a lot younger as the infant
mortality rate ill decline and therefore there will be a lot more children as the birth rate will
remain high.
Stage 3 is marked by a decrease in the birth rate when people start being educated on family
planning as well as people realising, they can have far fewer children as the rate of survival is
a lot higher. This causes the average age of the population to increase as well as the younger
generation from stage 2 now living older due to better medicine and having a higher quality
of life. The average family size then become 2 adults and 2 children.
4. Explain the possible links between the demographic transition and economic development.
If a country in stage 1 experiences economic growth, then this will lead to an increase in the
quality of life, more health care better sewage and cleaner drinking water. Therefore, the
death rates will massively decline. Then as the country further develops economically higher
proportion of women will be able to go to school and will therefore be more educated about
family planning as well as having children when they are older due to higher education and
studying. There will also be more widespread contraception. Combined this leads to a
massive decrease in the birth rate and therefore the country goes through stage 3 and end
up in stage 4 with a much lower birth and death rate. This means that economic
development is directly linked to the speed at which a country goes through the DTM.
1. Do all four countries appear to have gone through, or be going through, the same broad
sequence of demographic change?
Even though the countries are in different stages, the UK and Japan are in stage 4, while
Taiwan and Thailand are in stage 3, it does appear that they are all going through the same
sequence of demographic change in terms of each country having an accelerated growth
time before starting to level plateau out.
2. How do their rates of progress through the model compare and why are they are different?
As the UK was one of the first countries to go trough the demographic transition period it
experienced the slowest growth as it had to come up with and develop all the medicine and
technology. Whereas countries that have developed later did not need to create anything
new and instead could rely on other countries for these which in turn led to a more rapid
progression through the stages of the DTM. Where the UK took around 100 years to go
through stage 2 it took less than 50 years for Japan, Taiwan, and Thailand to go through
stage 2. It could also be that the countries developing later spend longer in stage 3 as the
death rate declines as a quicker pace due to charities and other countries transferring
knowledge and medicines quicker.
3. What demographic change appears to mark the start of stage 2 and stage 3?
Stage 2 begins when the death rate begins to rapidly decline due to improvements in
medicine. This causes the average age of the population to be a lot younger as the infant
mortality rate ill decline and therefore there will be a lot more children as the birth rate will
remain high.
Stage 3 is marked by a decrease in the birth rate when people start being educated on family
planning as well as people realising, they can have far fewer children as the rate of survival is
a lot higher. This causes the average age of the population to increase as well as the younger
generation from stage 2 now living older due to better medicine and having a higher quality
of life. The average family size then become 2 adults and 2 children.
4. Explain the possible links between the demographic transition and economic development.
If a country in stage 1 experiences economic growth, then this will lead to an increase in the
quality of life, more health care better sewage and cleaner drinking water. Therefore, the
death rates will massively decline. Then as the country further develops economically higher
proportion of women will be able to go to school and will therefore be more educated about
family planning as well as having children when they are older due to higher education and
studying. There will also be more widespread contraception. Combined this leads to a
massive decrease in the birth rate and therefore the country goes through stage 3 and end
up in stage 4 with a much lower birth and death rate. This means that economic
development is directly linked to the speed at which a country goes through the DTM.
