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birth rate
noun
variants
or birthrate
: the ratio between births and individuals in a specified population and time
Examples of birth rate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Economic straits, the surging cost of raising a kid, and the deepening childcare crisis have all made a dent in America’s birth rate.
—Chloe Berger, Fortune, 9 May 2024
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the birth rate of mothers ages 35-39 and 40-44 has risen from 2020-2023.
—Erin Jensen, USA TODAY, 8 May 2024
World & Nation Inside Japan’s ‘miracle town,’ where the birth rate is soaring amid a demographic crisis
Aug. 16, 2023
Vable Liu, a 29-year-old English teacher in Jinan, the capital of China’s Shandong province, said about a third of her friends are dinks.
—Stephanie Yang, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2024
Some couples try to ensure their children are born in the Year of the Dragon, a symbol of prosperity and vigor, often resulting in a bump in the country’s birth rate.
—Chris Lau, CNN, 16 Feb. 2024
As an island nation with relatively few foreign residents, Japan's population has been shrinking and aging for years, while Germany’s has grown to nearly 85 million, as immigration helped to make up for a low birth rate.
—Yuri Kageyama, Quartz, 15 Feb. 2024
Japan's public health insurance started covering some fertility treatments two years ago as the nation grapples with a low birth rate.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024
Like its East Asian neighbors — including China, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea — the island has a stubbornly low birth rate.
—Diksha Madhok, CNN, 5 Mar. 2024
South Korean officials are considering more than just matchmaking events to bolster the country’s rapidly-declining birth rate.
—Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 16 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'birth rate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1856, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near birth rate
Cite this Entry
“Birth rate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/birth%20rate. Accessed 19 May. 2024.
Kids Definition
birthrate
noun
birth·rate
-ˌrāt
: the number of births for every hundred or every thousand persons in a given area or group during a given time
Medical Definition
birth rate
noun
variants
or birthrate
: the ratio between births and individuals in a specified population and time often expressed as number of live births per hundred or per thousand population per year
called also natality
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