Question

Birth rate measures number of births during a year per what population?

• A. 100
• B. 1000
• C. 10000
• D. 100000

Hint:

Recall the standard denominator used for crude birth rate in demography.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

This question is about the standard way demographers express the birth rate of a population. Let's check each base number given.

1. 100: Using a base of 100 would make the birth rate a small fraction for most populations, since births in a year are usually a tiny share of the total population, so this base is too small to give a workable whole number rate and is not the standard used.
2. 1000: The crude birth rate is defined worldwide as the number of live births in a year for every 1,000 people in the mid year population of that area. This scale gives a clear, easy to compare whole number figure, such as a birth rate of 20 per 1,000, and is the standard denominator used in demography and vital statistics.
3. 10000: A base of 10,000 is used for some other statistics, such as certain disease incidence figures, but it is not the accepted base for the crude birth rate.
4. 100000: A base of 100,000 is the standard denominator for measures like the maternal mortality ratio, not for the ordinary birth rate, so it does not fit this question.

Demographic agencies and census reports consistently use per 1,000 population as the denominator for birth rate figures, which makes 1,000 the correct base here.

Let's summarize:

• Crude birth rate is defined as live births per year per 1,000 mid year population.
• Bases of 100, 10,000 and 100,000 are either too coarse or are reserved for other demographic measures such as maternal mortality ratio.

So the correct answer is option (b), 1000.