Final answer:
The population momentum effect is most prominent when a large percentage of the population is younger than eighteen, driving future population growth as these individuals reach reproductive age.
Step-by-step explanation:
The population momentum effect is most likely to occur in cases when a large percent of people in the population are younger than eighteen years old. This is because these individuals have not yet entered their reproductive years, and once they do, they will contribute to the growth of the population. As fertility rates decline, it is the younger age distribution that continues to drive population growth, even in the absence of high birth rates. This demographic phenomenon plays a key role in a country's transition through the demographic transition model, where changes in birth rates and death rates lead to overall population changes.
Historically, shifts like the post-war baby boom period demonstrate how large groups of young people, as they age, have a profound impact on population structures. Today, as the baby boom generation ages, we see a 'graying' trend with an increasing number of seniors within the population. However, for momentum effect, it is the proportion of younger individuals that is the critical factor for future population growth.