Talk:Birth rate
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I removed the statement that "a very small birth rate can result in the extinction of a people". While that is true, it is also intuitively obvious and adds no value to the definition as it is highly unlikely in modern times. Populations ebb and flow, and with established national boundaries and international respect of diversity one can expect that population extinction due to low birth rates is now highly unlikely as migration will an almost always does diminish that effect completely. Especially as land becomes more valuable and densities increase and medicine improves, it is highly unlikely that a human population will ever become extinct due to low birth rates.
On the other hand, I added that low birth rates can often result in bunkrupting an economy. This is a new phenomena (as low birth rates are a relatively new phenomena) - but can be observed in the United States where it is assumed that the social security system will be bankrupt by 2025 due to a lack of population growth. As that occurs it may be anticipated that migration will be allowed to increase dramatically in order to offset that problem.
I believe that the equation shown currently (rate = n/1000) is either inaccurate, or needs a better explanation. The equation as stated doesn't take into account the population at all. I believe that according to the article, the equation should be be rate = (n/p)*1000, which puts 1000 in the numerator, and has another variable p for population in the denominator. I believe this because if there were no deaths, it should look like exponential growth dP/dt = true_rate * population making true_rate have units of births per person per year, and because basing on an aproximate known birth rate for the united states of 14.3, .0143 births per year per person sounds reasonible. 14,300 births per year would translate to .000524 births per year per person which is totally unreasonible. That's a birth per woman per 1000 years. I would change it myself, but I don't actually know anything about political science, and I don't know how to edit equations.
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[edit] Different metric
Possibly related to the comments above, some recent reading on birthrates lists them in the form of average births per woman in her lifetime, which seems like a more intuitive and useful way of putting it. There isn't any easy way to convert between the two since the equation here is an annual stat rather than a lifetime per capita average. --Bk0 (Talk) 12:13, 4 April 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Influencing Factors
I think, it would improve the article to clearly describe the (positive or negative) relationship of the influencing factors. That leaves less room for doubt. Some of the factors aren't fully intuitive.
[edit] Axxn 14:29, 10 February 2007 (UTC)
Diggar vilalge(Pop:700) in the Nubra Valley (Ladakh, India) had a birth rate of 1.79 births per 1000 people for the 1998-2002 period. I think this is the lowest recorded TBR anywhere with a minimum population of 500. [1]
[edit] Animals other than humans
Animals other than humans also have birth rates. The article should be modified and expanded to include them. -- Kjkolb 00:43, 13 March 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Crude Birth Rate
I know that there is such a thing as Crude Birth Rate, but I'm not sure if it's the same thing as regular Birth Rate, or if there is a difference. Could someone edit it for me? 11:14, 10 November 2007
So, I changed the First "sentence" because it didn't make any sense. Unfortunately I'm by no means an expert in this subject and someone should really look it over. 207.112.51.182 19:47, 10 November 2007 (UTC)
