birthrate

plural birthrates · alternative birth rate

1. The ratio of total live births to total population for a specific community or nation in a specified period; often expressed in births per thousand per year.

   In 2023, the birthrate fell for the eighth consecutive year to 0.72, the lowest in the world, from 1.24 in 2015, raising concerns over the economic shock to society from such a rapid pace.

   2025 February 25, Reuters, “South Korea’s birth rate rose for the first time in 9 years. Is the world’s lowest fertility rate on the rebound?”, in CNN, archived from the original on 06 Jul 2025

   1 more example

   In higher education a similar transformation is being pulled forward: Colleges were expecting a grim landscape in the later 2020s, because 2010s birthrates were so low, but now a decline in foreign enrollment and an acceleration of online learning will threaten marginal state schools and possibly close small liberal-arts colleges much sooner.

   2020 June 27, Ross Douthat, “Waking Up in 2030”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 18 Jul 2020

   Synonyms: natality