Such consideration is made difficult by the inadequate vital statistics of the United States (which ranks with Turkey and China in this respect); but there is no doubt that the birth-rate as a whole is low, as compared with that of other countries; although as a whole it is not dangerously low and there is, of course, no necessary evil in a low birth-rate, of itself, if the quality be satisfactory. The U. S. Census tabulation for 1915 gives the following comparison of the number of babies born alive each year, per 1,000 population, in various countries:
| Russia in Europe (1909) | 44.0 |
|---|---|
| Japan (1911) | 34.1 |
| Italy (1913) | 31.7 |
| Austria (1912) | 31.3 |
| Spain (1913) | 30.4 |
| Austria (1913) | 28.3 |
| German Empire (1912) | 28.3 |
| Holland (1913) | 28.1 |
| Denmark (1913) | 25.6 |
| Norway (1913) | 25.3 |
| United States (registration area only, 1915) | 24.9 |
| England and Wales (1913) | 24.1 |
| Sweden (1912) | 23.8 |
| Switzerland (1913) | 23.1 |
| Belgium (1912) | 22.6 |
| France (1912) | 19.0 |
The United States birth-rate may, on its face, appear high enough; but its face does not show that this height is due largely to the fecundity of immigrant women. Statistics to prove this are given in Chapter XIII, but may be supplemented here by some figures from Pittsburgh.