Birth rate and mortality rate they are demographic indicators carried out through calculations. The birth rate represents the number of live births, while the death rate indicates the number of deaths in a given location. The results obtained help to understand the population dynamics of a given place, demonstrating its growth or decline.
Read too: What are the main social indicators?
Birth rate
The birth rate represents the number of children born alive within a year. The number of children born dead or who died soon after birth is excluded from this calculation. This indicator represents the relationship between the number of births and the number of inhabitants in a given location. The calculation is made for every thousand inhabitants, and the result is given in permilage (number per thousand).
Below is a hypothetical example of calculating the birth rate:
country's total population: 1 500 000 inhabitants
births in one year: 5000
Birth rate: 3,33‰
5000 x 1000 = 3,33‰
1 500 000
The result above indicates that, in this country, approximately three children are born for every thousand inhabitants in a period of one year.
→ Birth rate in developed and underdeveloped countries
Developed countries |
Underdeveloped countries |
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- The birth rate is stable, declining or reduced. - Public policies aimed at health and education serve the population efficiently. - Families are usually planned. - Women are increasingly inserted in the labor market, delaying marriages and children. - Access to health, medicines and contraceptive methods is a social reality |
- The birth rate is high due to the social problems experienced in these countries. - Public policies related to health, education and employment opportunities are inefficient. - Much of the population lives in poverty. - Lack of basic resources to live. - The quality of life is low. |
Mortality rate
The mortality rate represents the number of deaths over a year. This indicator is calculated for every thousand inhabitants and reflects the relationship between the number of annual deaths and the number of inhabitants in a given location. The result obtained through the calculation is also given in permilage.
See below a hypothetical example of calculating the death rate:
Total population of the country: 8 200 000 inhabitants
Deaths in one year: 20 000
Mortality rate: 2,43‰
20 000 x 1000 = 2,43‰
8 200 000
The result above indicates that, in the country in question, approximately two people die for every thousand inhabitants in a period of one year.
→ Mortality rate in developed and underdeveloped countries
Developed countries |
Underdeveloped countries |
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- The mortality rate is low. - Good quality and life expectancy are part of the reality of the population in these countries. - The population has access to health programs, medicines and vaccines. - Adequate basic sanitation and public educational programs are part of the social reality of these countries. |
- The mortality rate is high. - Public policies aimed at health are inefficient and basic sanitation is not adequate. - Many people live in poverty, malnutrition and immersed in disease and violence. |
Child mortality rate
THE child mortality rate it is an extremely relevant social indicator for the analysis of a country's social and economic development. According to the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef), reducing child mortality is one of the main goals of childhood policies in all countries.
This rate represents the number of children who die before reaching one year of age and is calculated for every thousand children who are born alive within a year.
See below a hypothetical example of calculating the infant mortality rate:
Number of deaths in the first year of life: 250
Births in one year: 30 000
Child mortality rate: 8,33‰
250 x 1000 = 8,33‰
30 000
The result above indicates that, in the country in question, approximately eight children die before completing one year of life for every thousand children born alive in a period of one year.
vegetative growth
Vegetative growth, also known as natural growth, represents the difference between birth and death rates within a year. When related to migratory movements, it allows the analysis of the demographic growth of a place.
Analyzes of birth and mortality rates allow us to assess some considerations about the population. For example, if in a given place the birth rate is higher than the death rate, it is possible to see that, in general, the population is growing. If, on the other hand, the death rate is higher than the birth rate, the local population will be decreasing. If these rates remain the same or very close, it is possible to say that the population remains stable, therefore, there is a zero population growth.
Know more:Demographic Control in China
fertility rate
THE fertility rate represents the estimated number of children per woman throughout her fertile period. Developed countries have this rate in decline due to family planning, the greater women's access to the labor market, health programs, contraceptive methods, as well as education. This reflects on the dynamics of the population, which starts to show greater population aging and a decrease in economically active population.
In underdeveloped countries, this rate is generally high, as it is common for women procreate more due to the lack of public policies aimed at health and planning familiar.
Population density
Regarding population density, also called demographic density, which represents the number of inhabitants divided by the area, we can see that:
Developed countries |
Underdeveloped countries |
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-A lower population density is observed. - Birth, mortality and fertility rates tend to decrease. - Much of the population has access to health, education and training for the labor market. - In countries like China (the most populous in the world), it is possible to find birth control policies aimed at lowering the birth rate. - The reduction in birth rates generates a high number of elderly people, which demands greater expenses with health and welfare systems. - There is also a reduction in the economically active population and in the number of adults of proactive age. |
- A higher population density is observed. - Birth, mortality and fertility rates are high. Public policies are inoperative and do not guarantee access to health, education and culture. - The rise in these rates reflects on the socioeconomic condition of the populations, who live, for the most part, immersed in miserable conditions, such as extreme poverty, malnutrition and aggravation of diseases. |
Birth and death rates in the world
Through the analysis of birth, mortality and fertility rates, it is possible to observe general aspects of a given population. Studies such as the review presented in 2017 by the United Nations Population Division nucleus indicate a drop in population growth rates, especially in developed countries. Despite this, population growth is expressive in all parts of the world.
In the first decade of the 21st century, the planet's population already exceeded seven billion inhabitants. According to forecasts by the United Nations (UN), around the year 2050, after reaching ten million inhabitants, the population growth will decline.
→ Highest birth and death rates in the world
Countries with higher birth rates |
Countries with lower mortality rates |
Niger – 50‰ |
Ukraine – 17‰ |
Mali – 47‰ |
Latvia - 16‰ |
Uganda – 44‰ |
Lithuania - 16‰ |
Zambia – 43‰ |
Bulgaria – 16‰ |
Burkina Faso – 41‰ |
Lesotho – 15‰ |
IBGE data - 2014
Birth and mortality rates in Brazil
In Brazil, there is a trend, not as expressive as in developed countries, to decrease in birth rate. This reduction is the result of a significant improvement in the quality of life of Brazilians, who now have greater access to health and education, even if they are still precarious.
The increase in the process of urbanization, which changed the way of life of many families, is also a major factor in explaining this reduction in the birth rate. Family reorganization came to see a new member as synonymous with higher expenses. Thus, the number of children in families decreased. In addition, the ticket in the business market it has led women to delay marriage and choose to have fewer children or not. These factors reflected in the consequent decrease in the fertility rate.
It is worth noting that, despite showing similar trends, Brazil is not considered a country developed, as its population still lives a reality of poverty, hunger and lack of basic resources in many homes.
With regard to the mortality rate, advances in the field of medicine they allowed society to have access to vaccines, medicines and better health care. A change in the young population is also observed in the country, which has shown a reduction in relation to previous periods, reflecting the reduction in fertility and birth rates. On the other hand, there is an increase in the number of elderly people, suggesting an improvement in the life expectancy of Brazilians.
According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), there has been a decrease in the birth rate in Brazil in recent years. In the year 2000, the birth rate was 20.86 ‰. In 2005, this rate was reduced to 18.15‰. In 2014, the number of children born decreased even more: 14.16 per thousand inhabitants.
Regarding the mortality rate, there was also a drop, although it was less expressive than the birth rate. In 2000, the mortality rate was 6.67‰. In 2005, this rate was reduced to 6.20 ‰. In 2015, this number was 6.08 deaths per thousand inhabitants.
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*Image credit: Lewis Tse Pui Lung / Shutterstock
by Rafaela Sousa
Graduated in Geography
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/geografia/taxa-natalidade-mortalidade.htm
