Demographic Transition Model outlines stages of population change. What is the hallmark of Stage 2 relative to Stage 1?

• A. Birth rates decline
• B. Death rates decline
• C. Birth rates rise
• D. Death rates rise

Answer: (B)

Mortality dropping marks the change from Stage 1 to Stage 2. In Stage 1, both birth and death rates are high, so population growth is slow. As health and living conditions improve—better nutrition, sanitation, vaccines, and medical care—death rates fall rapidly in Stage 2. Birth rates stay high for a while, so the population grows quickly. So the hallmark is a sharp decline in death rates relative to Stage 1. The other options don’t fit because birth rates decline or rise aren’t the defining shift for Stage 2, and death rates rising would imply worsening conditions rather than the observed health improvements.