In determining the growth of a country's population, infant mortality is a component of

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks which component of population growth includes infant mortality. Infant mortality means the death of babies under one year old.

Step 2: Explain the concept Population growth depends on three things:

• Births (fertility or birth rate): adds to the population.
• Deaths (mortality or death rate): reduces the population.
• Migration (immigration minus emigration, which is net migration): adds to or reduces the population.

Natural increase = Birth rate − Death rate.

Step 3: Work through the options

• A. Immigration rate: This is people moving into a country. Infant deaths have nothing to do with it.
• B. Fertility rate: This is the number of births per woman. It measures births, not deaths.
• C. Net migration: This is immigrants minus emigrants. It is not related to deaths.
• D. Death rate: This is the number of deaths per 1,000 people. Infant mortality (the deaths of children under one year) is part of the total deaths in a population, so it is a component of the death rate.

Step 4: Answer

Tip: When you see "mortality," think "death." Whenever you see mortality, whether infant, child, or maternal, it falls under the death rate. Fertility is linked to births, and migration is linked to movement.