What is meant by birth rate and death rate? Explain why the birth rate is relatively slow to fall while the death rate declines much faster.
(i) Birth Rate:The number of live births per thousand persons m a year is called Birth rate, it is different from actual number of births.
(ii) Death rate : It is the number of deaths per thousand persons In a year. The birth rate was 49.2 (per thousand) in the beginning of the 20th century and it came down to 26.1 per thousand at the end of century. It means a fall of 22.1 (per thousand) while in the same period (i.e. in a century) death rate delined from 42.6 (per thousand) to 8.7 (per thousand) i.e. decline of 33.9 (per thousand). It reveals that birth rate is relatively happens because public health measures and advancement in medical technology can control the death rate immediately and much faster than the birth rate. Birth rate centrary to it continues to be highbecause of early marriage lack of education and ineffective birth control measures' Presently, our scientists have developed a number of measures to control epidemics like Malaria, Small Pox, T.B. etc. Some of these are even eradicated now. Hence, the death falls rapidly. As per Thomas Robert Malthus, the power of population is superior to the power of the earth to produce subsistence for man. Human vices are the precursors in the great army of destruction and often finish the dreadful work themselves. Mankind has only a limited ability to voluntarily reduce the growth of its population through preventive checks like postponing marriage or practicing sexual abstinence or celibacy. Hence, it becomes difficult to check the birth rate in a given period of time as fast as the death rate. Birth rate is a socio-cultural phenomenon that is relatively slow to change.
