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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
While demographers, economists and sociologists agree on the challenges the declining birth rate could bring, some have argued that is also illustrative of societal progress—namely choice. Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025 Denmark's city planners wanted to limit the island's population growth at a time when a construction boom attracted many Danish workers and led to a high Inuit birth rate. Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 25 Sep. 2025 For instance, said Guo, the falling birth rate means Japan has a shrinking workforce, with fewer young people available to fill the gaps left by aging workers – who in turn are forced to keep toiling instead of retiring. Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2025 The West may think of his nation in terms of space-age technology and zeitgeist-defining cultural phenomena like KPop Demon Hunters, though in truth South Korea battles the lowest birth rate, top suicide rate, and highest youth unemployment of any developed nation. Charlie Campbell, Time, 17 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for birth rate

Word History

First Known Use

1856, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of birth rate was in 1856

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Cite this Entry

“Birth rate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/birth%20rate. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

birthrate

noun
birth·​rate -ˌrāt How to pronounce birthrate (audio)
: 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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