Where have all the babies gone?

By DARREN YOURK
Globe and Mail Update
Thursday, September 26 – Online Edition, Posted at 11:13 AM EST
The Globe and Mail

Canada's fertility rate hit a record low in 2000, driven down by the 10th straight annual decline in the number of births.

A report released Thursday by Statistics Canada shows the number of babies born in Canada in 2000 hit its lowest level since 1946.

A total of 327,882 babies were born in 2000, down 2.8 per cent from 337,249 in 1999. The number of live births fell in all provinces and territories except the Northwest Territories, where it rose 2.1 per cent.

Combined with a larger population, this left the fertility rate — an estimate of the average number of children women aged 15 to 49 will have in their lifetime — at a record low of 1.49.

Fertility rates also fell for women in all age groups under 35.

The largest annual decrease in the fertility rate occurred among female teenagers. The fertility rate fell from 18.9 births for every 1,000 women aged 15 to 19 in 1999 to a new low of 17.3.

Although fertility rates among women aged 35 and older increased from 1999 to 2000, the levels were not large enough to offset the decreases in fertility rates among younger women.

Births
	1999	2000	1999-2000 % change
Canada 2	337,249	327,882	-2.8
Newfoundland and Labrador	5,055	4,869	-3.7
Prince Edward Island	1,515	1,441	-4.9
Nova Scotia	9,575	9,116	-4.8
New Brunswick	7,615	7,347	-3.5
Quebec	73,596	72,007	-2.2
Ontario	131,080	127,408	-2.8
Manitoba	14,315	14,090	-1.6
Saskatchewan	12,604	12,140	-3.7
Alberta	38,171	37,006	-3.1
British Columbia	41,939	40,672	-3.0
Yukon	383	370	-3.4
Northwest Territories 3	659	673	2.1
Nunavut 3	737	727	-1.4
1: Excludes births to non-residents of Canada and stillbirths.
2: Canada total includes births with unknown province/territory of residence of mother.
3: For 1999 and 2000, data for Nunavut are excluded from the Northwest Territories.

Copyright © 2002 Bell Globemedia Interactive Inc.