Childbirth, also known as labour and delivery, is the ending of pregnancy where one or more babies leaves the uterus by passing through the vagina or by Caesarean section. In 2015, there were about 135 million births globally.
About 15 million were born before 37 weeks of gestation, while between 3 and 12 percent were born after 42 weeks.
Birth rate is important in determining the population growth rate.