Causes of Death by Demographic Transition Stage

Causes of Death in Each Stage of the Demographic Transition (Epidemiologic Transition)

By StudyStore · Published 2026-11-05 · 1 min read · 273 words

The epidemiologic transition describes how the leading causes of death shift as a society moves through the demographic transition. It is the health companion to the birth and death rate curves.

Causes of death by stage

Stage	Death rate	Typical leading causes
1	High, fluctuating	Famine, epidemics, infectious and parasitic disease, infant deaths
2	Falling fast	Infectious disease still common, but sanitation, vaccines and food supply cut deaths
3	Low and still falling	Infectious deaths are rarer; chronic, degenerative disease rises
4	Low and stable	Cardiovascular disease, cancer, other chronic disease of older age
5 (proposed)	May rise slightly	Chronic disease of aging; a shrinking, older population, with possible new infections

Why deaths shift

Better sanitation, clean water and vaccination reduce infectious causes.
Higher food security reduces famine.
More people reach old age, so conditions of aging become the leading causes.
Behavior and environment (diet, smoking, inactivity) add to chronic disease in later stages.

Link to life expectancy

Life expectancy rises across stages 2 and 3 mainly because infant and child deaths fall. Population growth in stage 2 is the gap between a falling death rate and a still-high birth rate.

Common traps

Putting chronic disease in stage 1. Few people live long enough for it to dominate.
Saying the death rate is highest in stage 2. It is highest in stage 1 and falls in stage 2.
Confusing causes with rates. A question may ask about the cause of death, not whether the rate rose or fell.

One-minute recap

Stage 1: infection and famine.
Stage 2: infection declining as public health improves.
Stage 3 to 4: chronic and degenerative disease.

Check yourself: 5-question mini-quiz

Try each question first, then click it to reveal the answer.

1. What is the epidemiologic transition?

The shift in leading causes of death from infectious disease and famine to chronic, degenerative disease.

2. Which causes of death dominate stage 1?

Famine, epidemics and infectious disease.

3. Which causes dominate stage 4?

Cardiovascular disease, cancer and other chronic disease.

4. Why does life expectancy rise in stages 2 and 3?

Infant and child deaths from infectious disease fall.

5. Why does the population grow fast in stage 2?

The death rate falls while the birth rate remains high.

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Written by StudyStore from standard scientific facts. Study aid only. Always check values against the reference your exam provides.