birthrate

American  

[burth-reyt] / ˈbɜrθˌreɪt /

noun

birthrates plural

1. the proportion of births to the total population in a place in a given time, usually expressed as a quantity per 1000 of population.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• birthrates
  plural

Etymology

Origin of birthrate

First recorded in 1855–60; birth + rate ¹

Explanation

A birthrate is the number of babies born during a specific time period within a certain population. When experts calculate how much a country or region's population is growing or shrinking, they compare the birthrate with rates of deaths and migration. This usually means determining the number of live births for every population of 1,000. Birthrate is figured using census data and a worldwide registration system that records new births. From the 1950s to the 2020s, the average global birthrate has significantly and consistently declined, though the global population has greatly increased.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

birthrate birthrates

This intergenerational compact is now reversing because of an aging population and declining birthrate.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

The change also comes as Japan faces a declining birthrate and a rapidly aging population.

From BBC ● May 23, 2026

Meanwhile, one of the reasons Social Security is in financial trouble is because the birthrate has collapsed.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 30, 2026

That is the lowest number of births and lowest birthrate reported since records began in 1949, the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 19, 2026

At present neither infant mortality nor the birthrate runs high in the civilized areas of Gethen.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin

Immigrants also age and retire, and their birthrates converge with the national average within a generation or two.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

One of the pieces of evidence for this that they uncovered: Countries and U.S. regions with declining birthrates see increases in labor-saving patents.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

“I have also opposed unregulated charter expansion and will continue to do so, particularly in this time of declining birthrates and families being priced out of Los Angeles.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026

U.S. births per 1,000 in 2025, a record low, as birthrates shifted to women in their late 30s.

From Barron's ● Apr. 11, 2026

Take a look at the following chart, which shows the birthrates in the United States from 1910 to 1950.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell