Definition of Terms

  • Birth Rate – number of births ÷ population, usually multiplied by 1,000. Example – birth rate for teens 15-19, 1998:

  • Proportion of Teen Births to Unmarried Teens – number of births to unmarried teens ÷ total number of births in the same age group, multiplied by 100. Example – proportion of births to teens 15-19, 1998, that were to unmarried teens:

  • Proportion of All Births that are to Teens – number of teen births ÷ total number of births to women of all ages. Example – proportion of all births in 1998 that were to girls under 20:

    484,895 births
    9,493,761 girls aged 15-19

    = 0.0511 × 1,000 = 51.1 per 1,000

    380,868 births to unmarried teens
    484,895 births to teens

    = 0.785 × 100 = 78.5 percent

    Just the Facts (October 2000) – Page 66

    494,357 births to girls under 20
    3,941,553 total births

    = 0.125 × 100 = 12.5 percent

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Questions? Please contact Anastasia Snyder, Assistant Professor of Rural Sociology and Demography
Copyright 2002. The Pennsylvania State University.
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