demographic change

A model describing transition in demographic profile of a population, which has been associated with the development process that transforms an agricultural society into an industrial one and characterized by a rapid population growth due to a decline in the death rate while fertility remains high initially; the growth rate then declines due to a decline in the birth rate. Before the transition's onset, population growth is low as high death rates tend to offset high fertility. After the transition, population growth is again below replacement level as both birth and death rates reach low levels.