Age structure. The distribution of a population according to age, usually by 5-year age groups.
Age-specific fertility rate. The number of births during a year to women in a particular age group, usually per 1,000 women in a 5-year age group at midyear.
Aging. An increase in the proportion of the population in the older ages. May also be measured as an increase in the median age of the population.
AIDS. Acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
Base population. The population, usually by age and sex, for the initial year of a projection.
Birth rate. The average annual number of births during a year per 1,000 population at midyear. Also known as the crude birth rate.
Children ever born. The total number of births a woman has had, regardless of whether the children are living or dead at the time of the inquiry.
Children surviving. The number of children a woman has had that are still living at the time of the inquiry.
Cohort. A group of individuals born in the same calendar year or group of years.
Cohort component method. See component method.
Component method. A method of estimating or projecting a population in which separate components of population change (fertility, mortality, and migration) are used to derive the total population. When such projections are made also by age and sex, the procedure is known as the cohort component method.
Components of change. Fertility, mortality, and migration.
Contraception. The conscious effort of couples to regulate the number and spacing of births. Also known as family planning.
Contraceptive prevalence rate. The percent of currently married women of reproductive age (normally defined as the range 15 to 49 years) who use contraception.
Crude birth rate. See birth rate.
Crude death rate. See death rate.
Currently married women. Women ages 15 to 49 either formally married or living in union with a man (consensual unions). Same as "married women of reproductive age."
Death rate. The average annual number of deaths during a year per 1,000 population at midyear. Also known as the crude death rate.
Development category. The classification of regions into "less developed" and "more developed" according to their general level of economic development. In this report, countries are classified according to the grouping used by the United Nations. See references to these terms in the Glossary for details.
DHS. Demographic and Health Surveys, an ongoing program of household surveys implemented by Macro International, Inc. and collaborating organizations.
Family planning. See contraception.Growth rate. The average annual percent change in the population, resulting from a surplus (or deficit) of births over deaths and the balance of migrants entering and leaving a country. The rate may be positive or negative. Also known as population growth rate or average annual rate of growth.
HIV. Human immunodeficiency virus. The virus that causes AIDS.
Indirect estimation. The use of special techniques to estimate demographic measures (such as fertility and mortality) when information is not adequate for measuring them directly.
Infant mortality rate. The number of deaths of infants under 1 year of age from a cohort of 1,000 live births. Denoted 1 q 0 or IMR, it is the probability of dying between birth and exact age 1.
IUD. Intrauterine device, a method of contraception.
iwgAIDS. Interagency Working Group on AIDS.
Less developed countries. The "less developed" countries include all of Africa, all of Asia except Japan, the Transcaucasian and Central Asian republics of the NIS, all of Latin America and the Caribbean, and all of Oceania except Australia and New Zealand. This category matches the "less developed country" classification employed by the United Nations. "Less developed" countries are also referred to in the report as "developing" countries.
Life expectancy at birth. The average number of years a group of people born in the same year can be expected to live if mortality at each age remains constant in the future.
Life table. A statistical table that follows a hypothetical cohort of 100,000 persons born at the same time as they progress through successive ages, with the cohort reduced from one age to the next according to a set of death rates by age until all persons eventually die.
Married women of reproductive age (MWRA). Women ages 15 to 49 either formally married or living in union with a man (consensual unions). Same as "currently married women."
Median age. The midpoint age that separates the younger half of a population from the older half.
Modern methods of contraception. Condoms, injectables, IUD's, pills, vaginal methods (spermicides, diaphragms, or caps), and voluntary sterilization of a woman or her partner.
More developed countries. The "more developed" countries and areas include all of North America and Europe (including the Baltics and the four European republics of the NIS) plus Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. This category matches the "more developed" classification employed by the United Nations.
Natural increase. The difference between the number of births and the number of deaths.
Net migration rate. The difference between the number of migrants entering and those leaving a country in a year, per 1,000 midyear population. May also be expressed in percent. A positive figure is known as a net immigration rate and a negative figure as a net emigration rate.
New Independent States (NIS). Fifteen nations formed from the former Soviet Union. The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) refers to these countries excluding the three Baltic nations of Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania.
Pandemic. A global epidemic.
Projections. Data on population and vital rates derived for future years based on statistics from population censuses, vital registration systems, or sample surveys pertaining to the recent past, and on assumptions about future trends.
Rate of natural increase. The difference between the crude birth rate and the crude death rate.
Replacement level fertility. The average number of children each woman would have to bear for a population to remain the same size over the long term. Conventionally taken to be an average of 2.1 children per woman.
Seroprevalence. The percent of a population testing positive for infection in a blood test. In the context of this report, the percent testing positive for antibodies to HIV.
Sustainable development. The term refers to achieving economic and social development in ways that do not exhaust a country's natural resources. See, also, Ashford (1995) and The World Commission on Environment and Development (1987). In the Commission's words: "... sustainable development is ... a process of change in which the exploitation of resources, the direction of investments, the orientation of technological development, and institutional change are made consistent with the future as well as present needs" (Ibid: 9).
Total fertility rate. The average number of children that would be born per woman if all women lived to the end of their childbearing years and bore children according to a given set of age-specific fertility rates.
Traditional methods of contraception. Periodic abstinence, rhythm, withdrawal, douche, and folk methods. Also known as natural methods.
Under-5 mortality. Number of deaths of children under 5 years of age from a cohort of 1,000 live births. Denoted 5q0, it is the probability of dying between birth and exact age 5.
Underenumeration. In a census, the erroneous counting of fewer persons in a population than actually belong to it.
Underregistration. In a vital registration system, the failure to register all vital events that occur in a population.
Unmet need for family planning. Nonuse of contraception among women who would like to regulate their fertility, measured as the proportion of currently married women of reproductive age not using contraception but wishing either to postpone the next wanted birth or to prevent unwanted childbearing after having achieved their desired number of children.
Vital events. Births and deaths.
Vital rates. Birth rates and death rates.
Vital registration. The recording of vital events for legal, administrative, and statistical purposes.
WHO. World Health Organization.
WHO/GPA. World Health Organization/ Global Programme on AIDS.
