Language & WorldHow it works
How large families become two-child families, everywhere.
Almost every country follows the same pattern. Stage 1: high births, high deaths, little growth. Stage 2: medicine and hygiene cut deaths while births stay high, and population explodes. Stage 3: education, cities and contraception lower births. Stage 4: both low, growth stops. Europe took about 150 years; many Asian countries did it in 50.
Useful: High birth rates are a phase, not a permanent state; educating women speeds up the transition.
Source: en.wikipedia.org