What is Birth Rate?
The birth rate specifies the number of successful births per 1,000 people per year within a specific population. The birth rate gives insight into population statistics.
A high birth rate contributes to population growth. But if the birth rate is lower than the number of deaths or death rate, then there will not be any growth in the population statistics.
In the birth rate, only the living births get counted. The birth rate can be controlled with family planning, and the fertility rate is also a contributor.
If the birth rate is getting too high, then even the country authorities can set birth control policies to keep the balance and manage overpopulation. For example, China came up with the one-child policy in 1980 that said each family would have one child only.
This measure was to control the rapid growth of their population, and it ended in 2016 when the growth rate became stable.
What is Death Rate?
The death rate is also called the mortality rate. It tells the number of deaths that happen in a year per 1,000 people. Various factors decide the death rate, the condition of healthcare, the preponderance of a fatal disease, the age distribution of the population, etc.
If a particular city has a high-end medical facility, then the chances are that the people of that place will have a low death rate. However, a village area may not have all these special healthcare facilities, so they face a high death rate.
If the death rate is higher than the birth rate, then the population will witness a decrease. But if the death rate is very low, then that particular place will have a hiked population density.
Main Differences Between Birth Rate and Death Rate
- The birth rate of a country or state is the number of living births that took place in the span of a year. On the other hand, the death rate is the number of deaths in a country or state in a year.
- The birth rate can be consciously controlled, but this same approach is not possible to use
- The birth rate decides the youth strength, while the death rate will give a report of the aging people in a state.
- Birth rates can be controlled with family planning, but this same concept will not work to maintain the death rates. However, advanced healthcare systems can lead to lower death rates.
- If the birth rate becomes higher than the death rate, the population will face density, and the growth will be positive. Similarly, the population will decrease if the death rate goes above the birth rate.
Comparison Between Birth Rate and Death Rate
| Parameter of Comparison | Birth Rate | Death Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Birth rate specifies the number of births per 1000 people per year in a given population. | Death rate specifies the number of deaths per 1000 people per year in a given population. |
| Controlling | The birth rate can be controlled. | The death rate can not be controlled in most cases. |
| Impact on population | If the birth rate exceeds the death rate, it will increase population growth. | If the death rate goes up the birth rate, the population will decrease. |
| Importance | The importance of knowing the birth rate is to know the youth structure. | Knowing the death rate is also important to see the structure of aging people. |
| Family planning | Family planning can control the birth rate. | Family planning does not have any impact on the death rate. |
Last Updated : 19 January, 2024
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Emma Smith holds an MA degree in English from Irvine Valley College. She has been a Journalist since 2002, writing articles on the English language, Sports, and Law. Read more about me on her bio page.
