To calculate the birth rate, you divide the number of live births by the total population and then multiply the result by 1,000.

The birth rate is an important metric that indicates how many live births occur within a specific population over a defined time period, typically one year. To compute the birth rate accurately, you need two essential pieces of information: the total number of live births during the year and the total population at the midpoint of that year.

Let’s go through the calculation step-by-step. For instance, consider a town with a population of $50,000$. During the year, this town recorded $600$ live births. To determine the birth rate, you can use the following formula:

Now, substituting in the numbers we have:

First, calculate the division:

Next, multiply this result by $1,000$:

Therefore, the birth rate for this town is $12$ live births per $1,000$ people per year.

This method standardizes the birth rate, facilitating comparisons between different populations or the same population over various time periods. Keep in mind that multiplying by $1,000$ is crucial, as it converts the rate into a more interpretable figure, representing the number of births per $1,000$ individuals.