Live births down in September 2011 year

There were 62,260 live births registered in the September 2011 year, Statistics New Zealand said today. This is a decrease of 1,470 (2 percent) from the September 2010 year.

"Fluctuations in births can reflect changes in the size and age of the population, the age women have children, and the number of children women have," Population Statistics manager Andrea Blackburn said.

In the September 2011 year, there were 29,710 deaths registered, an increase of 910 (3 percent) from the September 2010 year. The deaths, combined with the live births, resulted in a natural increase (live births minus deaths) of 32,550, down from 34,940 in the September 2010 year.

Other statistics from birth and death registrations released today indicate that in the September 2011 year:

• the birth rate was 2.1 births per woman, almost half the peak of 4.3 births per woman in 1961
• the median age (half are younger and half are older than this age) of mothers was 30 years, compared with 26 years in the early 1960s
• the median age at death was 77 years for men, and 83 years for women
• the infant mortality rate was 4.8 per 1,000 live births, down from 7.6 in 1991.

 

See:
Births and Deaths: Year ended September 2011 – Information release