63,900 births in 2010; nearly 600,000 for the decade

There were 63,900 live births registered in the December 2010 year, Statistics New Zealand said today. This is equivalent in size to the population of the newly expanded Waikato district. Nearly 600,000 (595,790) births were registered in the 10 years to 2010, with the numbers fluctuating from a low of 54,020 in 2002 to 64,340 in 2008.

"Annual fluctuations in births, in part, reflect changes in the size and age of the population, the age at which women have children, and the number of children they have," Population Statistics manager Bridget Hamilton-Seymour said. "In turn, the number of births influences the future size of the population."

Other statistics from birth and death registrations released today indicate that in the December 2010 year:

• 15 out of 1,000 women who gave birth had a multiple birth, and 910 sets of twins and 20 sets of triplets were born 
• the birth rate reached 2.1 births per woman in the December 2010 year, around half the peak of 4.3 births reached in 1961 
• the median age of New Zealand women giving birth was 30 years, compared with 26 years in the early 1960s 
• 28,440 deaths were registered, down slightly from 28,960 in 2009 
• the median age at death was 77 years for men and 83 years for women, compared with 72 years for men and 78 years for women in 1990 
• infant deaths (under one year of age) numbered 320 
• the infant mortality rate (infant deaths per 1,000 live births) was 5.1, down from 8.3 per 1,000 in 1990. 

 Geoff Bascand 16 February 2011

 Government Statistician