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.
Its birth rate increased slightly in the 2010s after hitting a record low of about 1.2 in 2011. Anne Marie D. Lee, CBS News, 25 Apr. 2025 Elon Musk, who leads the Department of Government Efficiency, has said the low birth rate keeps him up at night. Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2025 Still, the teen birth rate in Mississippi has dropped precipitously from 46.1 in 2012 to 23.6 in 2021, according to state data. Sarah Varney, NBC News, 18 Mar. 2025 Oryol oblast in central Russia has made an amendment to an existing government program and will allow schoolgirls to receive payment for becoming pregnant in an effort to boost the country's birth rate, according to a decree signed by Andrei Klychkov, the governor of the region, on March 20. Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 25 Mar. 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 2 May. 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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