5. Theory of Demographic Transition

The demographic transition theory is a generalized description of the changing pattern of mortality, fertility and growth rates as societies move from one demographic regime to another. The term was first coined by the American demographer Frank W. Notestein in the mid- twentieth century, but it has since been elaborated and expanded upon by many others.

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.

There are four stages to the classical demographic transition model: