Difference between Birth Rate and Death Rate

Introduction

Birth rate and death rate are important topics of discussion in economics. You can find these two terms while discussing the topic of the population; these terms- death rate and birth rate are familiar with the term population. The rate can be considered as the frequency over anything or ratio. The term birth rate refers to the number of infants born annually per 1000 individuals in a community. The term death rate refers to the annual number of fatalities per 1000 individuals in a community. When the birth rate exceeds the mortality Rate, the population grows naturally. While the death rate increases, the population decreases.

In vastly populated cities like India, China, etc., keeping a record of the number of people dying and taking birth per year is mandatory, not only in these countries. Even keeping a record in every community is mandatory. Such ratios use to provide an estimate regarding the requirements of the country. The birth rate explains how many babies take birth annually and their essential requirements. This data also presents the reason for the depletion or enhancement of the country's population. If the death rate is increasing, it is alarming and concerning for that particular community; such ratios provide an idea regarding the reason for the downfall or a particular cause. So that government or the concerned community can pay more attention towards health services, which can improve the health condition of citizens.

During the pandemic Covid-19, the death and birth rates decreased due to enormous health issues and this horrible virus. Hence, it provides a basic idea regarding the requirements of a country and how much population a specific community or country contains. Some simple examples can understand this suppose there were 20 rose plants in a garden in the last year; next year, eight more plants were added through breeding, bringing the number of rose plants to 28, then the birth rate comes out 8/20, which is 0.4 offspring per rose per year. Also, we can conclude that the birth rate increases, so simply adding in the population of certain things signify as birth rate. The same criteria are for the death rate also.

Difference between Birth Rate and Death Rate

There are certain differences in both terms - birth rate and death rate. First, the birth rate is related to the number of births over 1000 people who are part of the population, whereas the death rate is related to the number of deaths over 1000 people of a country's population. Second, through the birth and death rates, one can discover the development and awareness of citizens of a specific country. We used to find the birth rate a bit high in less developing countries or countries in the development zone, whereas the death rate will always not be as high as the birth rate. The third point is regarding control over these two essential meanings; the birth rate can only be controlled by proper family planning and spreading awareness among citizens of the country regarding why it should be controlled; again, this is needed the most in an underdeveloped country. And death rate requires complete medicare for control, lack of medical facilities can increase the death rate to some extent. Control over the death and birth rates is vital for proper balancing in the country's system. India shares about 17.70% of the world's population. It has increased the birth rate many times, especially in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. The birth rate has increased in states like Kerala, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and West Bengal, with the lowest birth rate. Hence, control over the birth rate in some states of India describes their development in many sectors, especially in education. Sometimes increase in the death rate depends upon natural calamities and the pandemic. The latest example regarding the increase in the death rate by natural calamities is an earthquake in Turkey which led to the killing of many humans and animals. An example of the increase in the death rate due to the pandemic is Covid19. If we move towards chronicles, then diseases like plague and chicken pox are better examples of how these ratios differ accordingly due to some reasons.

Birth and death rates are matters of serious discussion, which require control and proper balancing for the well of the country. The global birth rate is greater than the global fatality rate, leading the world's population to increase yearly. The population grows at a rate of 1.17 percent annually between 2000 and 2005. Migration impacts population increase nationally, but migration is a minor process. It has little impact.

Some factors affect the birth and death rates, which plays a vital role in understanding this.

Factors Affecting Birth Rate

1. Education- As we all know, education is the most important part of life and society; it plays a vital role in the overall development of an individual and the entire nation. Hence education plays a vital role if we talk about the birth rate. Level of education shows the awareness of certain reasons regarding the fluctuation of population or the rate of declining and inclining of population. We can notice that in India, the birth rate is higher in regions with the lowest literacy rate, and not only in India. We can observe that the birth rate is controlled in developed and literate areas. People are aware of their capability and follow the ideology to provide better facilities to their families. As the number of family members is inversely proportional to the facilities the family is getting.
   There is some traditional belief system regarding birth control, so abortion and contraception are not followed mostly in rural areas, resulting in an increasing birth rate. Lack of education is also a reason behind the existence of such beliefs. Thus, all the factors are interconnected to each other.
2. Female Employment- Another important factor affecting the birth rate is female employment; people focus more on being economically prosperous. As higher the economy they can confront more family needs for which the birth rate and the number of children in the family should be less.
3. Poverty- The next factor is the poverty level; this can be seen from both perspectives. On one hand, the birth rate can enhance the poverty level in the country without proper education facilities and lack of awareness among children about developing themselves; such points prove that increasing the birth rate can enhance the poverty in the country, and children can be named as a liability in this manner. On the other hand, children can be considered an asset for society as well as for the development of the country if they are earning money and contributing to the nation's economy.
4. Child marriage- Marrying at a typical age is another matter of concern affecting the birth and death rates. In rural areas of India, some parts of Bihar, Odissa, some remote areas of Rajasthan, and practices like child marriages are still part of society's rituals. Because of underage pregnancies, a child is born unhealthy and may die early. This also harms the female body and results in a low birth rate.

Factors Affecting the Death Rate

1. Health Care and Medical facilities- Many factors affect the death rate; nutrition and medical facilities are considered the most important in the case of a country's population. Health care and medical services are inversely proportional to the death rate. The more the health care and medical facilities increase in a country lesser the death rate will be. Hence consumption of nutrition and a healthy lifestyle are characteristics that affect the growth of the population.
2. Living Standards- The next important factor is the living standard which is based on the family's income. Living standards set the affordability of an individual in society; eating nutritious food and affordability of health facilities are the criteria to define the living standard of a family. The COVID-19 pandemic is an illustration, which increases the death rate in India by affecting living standards as it caused a lack of medical facilities, and increased rates of groceries destroyed many families, especially the rural sector of the country. Such infectious diseases affect the death rate.
3. Increasing Crime and migration- Factors like increasing crime also play a vital role in the case of a death rate. Migration is not part of the major factors of birth rate and death rate but also plays a vital role. If immigration is positive, then it will lead to a balance in the population. If immigration becomes negative, it will lead to a decrease in the country's population.