Not what you think, at least in the context of economics. The birth-death ratio compares the number of jobs created from new businesses to the number of jobs lost to closed businesses.
Yes, it does sound dramatic when you put it in terms of life and death, but that’s how they do over at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Every month, the BLS samples about a third of all non-farm workers at businesses and government agencies to figure out the birth-death ratio. While the BLS does its best to report employment statistics accurately, critics say the birth-death ratio can be inaccurate based on how the data is collected and interpreted.
Haters be hating, even on the BLS.