The correct answer is C. Both 1 and 2.
The demographic transition theory is a model that describes the changes in birth and death rates as a country develops economically. The theory proposes that countries go through four stages of demographic transition:
- The pre-transition stage, in which birth and death rates are both high.
- The transitional stage, in which death rates decline but birth rates remain high.
- The post-transition stage, in which both birth and death rates are low.
- The aging stage, in which death rates decline but birth rates remain low, leading to an aging population.
In the first stage of the demographic transition, birth rates are high and death rates are high. This is because people in pre-industrial societies have many children in order to ensure that some will survive to adulthood. Death rates are also high in pre-industrial societies due to poor sanitation, lack of access to healthcare, and high rates of infectious diseases.
As a country develops economically, death rates decline due to improvements in sanitation, healthcare, and nutrition. However, birth rates often remain high for some time, leading to a period of rapid population growth. This is because people in developing countries tend to have large families in order to ensure that they have enough children to support them in old age.
Eventually, as a country becomes more developed, birth rates begin to decline. This is due to a number of factors, including increased access to education and contraception, changing gender roles, and smaller family sizes being seen as more desirable.
The demographic transition theory is a useful tool for understanding the changes in population growth that have occurred in many countries over the past few centuries. However, it is important to note that the theory is not a perfect predictor of future population growth. For example, some countries have experienced a decline in birth rates even before they have reached a high level of economic development.