This is the DTM. It shows population change over time. It studies how birth rate and death rate affect the total population of a country.
There are five stages that a country goes through and each stage reflects their level of development.
Stage one doesn't really apply anywhere anymore apart from remote tribes living in the Amazon rainforest.
As we go from stage one to five, birth rate and death rate change as does the level of development.
Stage five is the most developed stage and stage two countries have the most improvement to make.
As a result, each stage has different population issues and problems facing them.
There are five stages that a country goes through and each stage reflects their level of development.
Stage one doesn't really apply anywhere anymore apart from remote tribes living in the Amazon rainforest.
As we go from stage one to five, birth rate and death rate change as does the level of development.
Stage five is the most developed stage and stage two countries have the most improvement to make.
As a result, each stage has different population issues and problems facing them.
Key Word |
Definition |
Demographic |
A group of people – based on age group e.g. working age, or retired. |
Birth rate (per 1000 per year) |
The number of live births per 1000 per year |
Death rate (per 1000 per year) |
The number of deaths per 1000 per year |
Infant Mortality |
The amount of babies under 1 year old who die per 1000 per year |
Average Life Expectancy |
The number of years you would be expected to live based on your location. |
Infant Mortality |
This is where birth rate is higher than death rate and the population growing. |
Replacement Level |
When the birth rate is just high enough for a couple to have 2 children, so they replace themselves when they die. |
Why do some countries have high birth rates?
Lack of contraception – they could be too poor for it to be widespread or poorer education might mean people don’t know about family planning.
- For work reasons – children can help on farms in poor rural areas, or get other jobs that can boost the family’s income
- Because of the high infant mortality – some parents may have more children as poor healthcare means they are not certain their children will live. This helps make sure they will have children that survive.
- Religious reasons – some religions forbid the use of contraception, for example Catholicism.
- Traditional role of women– Some countries have strict and old fashioned gender roles, where women are married young and start families as soon as possible,
Why do some countries have a low death rates?
- Better healthcare – hospitals, technology and medicine is better. There are more doctors and they have access to better training.
- Higher standard of living – Good sanitation stops the spread of disease. Larger, better food and water supplies help to keep a population healthy.
- Better education – people are taught how to live healthy lives, for example balanced diets, how to avoid spreading diseases like HIV etc