Natural Increase Rate (NIR)

Definition

The Natural Increase Rate (NIR) is the difference between the number of births and deaths in a population, expressed as a percentage. It does not include migration.

Analogy

Think of NIR like a school's enrollment rate. If more students enroll (births) than graduate or drop out (deaths), then the school's enrollment rate increases. Similarly, if a country has more births than deaths, its population grows - that's what we call a positive NIR.

Related terms

Crude Birth Rate (CBR): This is the total number of live births in a year for every 1,000 people alive in society.

Crude Death Rate (CDR): This is the total number of deaths in a year for every 1,000 people alive in society.

Population Growth Rate: This is the increase in a country’s population during a period of time, usually one year, expressed as a percentage of the population at the start of that period. It includes both natural changes to population (births and deaths) and net migration.