Births

The number of births a population has each year is an important indicator of population growth, which can impact health systems, policy decisions and the economy.¹ A fertility rate is the number of babies born to women of childbearing age in a given population. Sustained low fertility rates may indicate that the population is aging; sustained high fertility rates may predict a younger population.

1. Grundy E, Murphy M. Demography and public health. In: Detels R, Gulliford M, Karim QA, Tan CC, editors. Oxford textbook of global public health. 6th ed. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 718–35. 2015