BIRTH RATE RISING

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 85, Issue 47, 25 February 1941, Page 10

BIRTH RATE RISING

—»• POPULATION INCREASE FIFTY YEAR COMPARISON INTERESTING STATISTICS It is certain that the 1940 vital statistics will reveal a further substantial increase in the birth rate. Although the figures for the full year will not be available until February, it will give satisfaction to those who have been concerned about recent trends to know that for the first time since 1927 the birth rate is likely to exceed 20 per 1000 of population. From 1920, when the rate was 25, there was a steady annual decline until 1935 when the low record of 16.17 was reached. In the following year the first yearly increase in the number of births sinee 1930 took place and there was also an increase in the birth rate after 15 years’ steady decline. Improvement Maintained. This improvement has been maintained for more than three years and the total for 1940 will be the highest yet recorded in New Zealand. If the "final quarter of last year is as good as the first three, registrations will be about 32.000 for the full year as against 23,965 five years ago. This means an improvement of about 33 per cent, on the 1935 total and it is a reflection of the increase in marriages which have risen rapidly from a little under 10,000 in 1931 and 1932 to over 17,000 in 1939. The previous record year for marriages was 1920 when the figure was 12,175. The following table shows the number of births for 1935 and subsequent years with the birth rate per 1000 of population:

In the first nine months of last year almost as many children were born as in the whole of 1935. As there is still a small increase in the population each year the birth rate does not show quite such an improvement as the number of births but the above table shows that a 25 per cent, improvement has occurred in five years. Population Increase.

The natural increase in the population 50 years ago was about 24 per cent, a year but during the last decade it had fallen to less than 1 per cent. During the 1880-1889 period the birth rate was 34.92 about twice the low rate recently recorded. This decrease is, however, somewhat offset by the decline in the infant mortality rate from 88.81 per 1000 50 years ago to 30.21 in the first nine months of 1940. Thus, although the rate of natural increase fell from 24.33 per 1000 in the 1880-1889 period to 7.89 in 1936 and rose to 9.53 in 1939, the actual position is improved by the fact that of every 100 live births only 30 now fail to survive one year. In other words 50 yea'rs ago every 5000 people had 175 children and these 15 died within a year leaving a nett, gain o£ 160. Now the same number of people have 100 children but as only three fail to live a year the actual gain is 97 as against 160. New Zealand's birth rate is still low comparer! with the rest of the world but the recent increase makes it slightly better than 17 countries which were "previously ahead of New Zea■and. In 1936 only seven countries had a lower birth rate. Low Death Rate. cause of the extremely low death i.e (bettered only by Hie Nelherand ,he natural increase rate in Nd Zealand is better than that of Au. :-alia, Germany, the Uniled States am! England and Wales. In the last-m-..v.inner’ countries this rate is only ; compared with 8 per 1000 in . v Zealand when the last world ~.on was made. Filly years Hie rate in New Zealand was 2!..'!”. per 1000 which speaks lor itIhe only countries ol' importance v ii had lower birth rates than New .: were Norway. Switzerland, i.-m land ami Wales. Belgium, Sweden, ami France had all of these had lower rates of natural increase because of high death rates. These reductions are of interest because if this Domiinon can combine a better birth rate with it low death and infant mortality rates the population will increase quite rapidly. The country with the second lowest infant mortality rale was the Netherland, where the world’s lowest death rate was recorded before the Nazi invasion. There, 39 of every 1000 babies died in their first year as against only 30 in New Zealand.

1935 1936 23,965 24,837 16.17 lfc.64 1937 26,014 17.29 1938 27,249 17.93 1939 28,833 18.73 1940 (9 months) 23,793 20.5