IX

H.—3l

Birth and Marriage Rates in the United Kingdom, 1886, 1891, 1896, 1901, and 1903. Births. Marriages. M Rate per Rate per Year. Number. 1,000 of Number. 1,000 of Population. Population. Population. 1886 ... 36,313,582 1,145,577 31-5 241,180 6-6 1891 ... 37,802,440 1,148,259 30-4 275,970 73 1896 ... 39,599,072 1,152,144 29-0 296,089 7-5 1901 ... 41,550,773 1,162,975 28-0 313,351 7-5 1903 ... 42,371,219 1,183,601 27-9 316,415 7-5 The above figures are taken from the report of the Registrar-General of England (66th number), published in 1905. The birth-rates for ten years in Great Britain and certain countries of the European Continent are also given from the same source. The rates in England and Wales, and in Scotland, are higher than those in New Zealand, but the rate for Ireland is lower. France has the lowest rate of all quoted.

Birth-rates in European Countries, 1894 to 1903.

From the year 1895 marriages have shown an increase, the rate being then 5-94 per 1,000 of population. In 1905 the rate rose to 8 - 28, the highest record since 1875, when it was 8-94 per 1,000 of mean population. The number of mariiages solemnised in 19O5j]was^7,2QO, i 'an increase of 217 on the number for 1904. Marriage-rates in Australasia per 1,000 of Population for Five Years. 1901. 1902. 1903. 1904. 1905. Queensland ... ... ... 6-61 6-31 5-72 5-93 New South Wales... ... ... 7-68 7-53 686 721 7-42 Victoria ... ... ... ... 6-99 7-02 6-29 6-80 7-24 South Australia ... ... ... 6-44 6-61 6-25 685 7-00 Western Australia ... ... ... 9-65 9-77 9-33 883 8-48 Tasmania... ... ... ... 7-68 7-47 757 7-55 7-61 New Zealand ... ... ... 7-83 8-01 8-23 8-26 8-28 In April, 1896, New Zealand had 83,659 children living under the age of five years, and in March, 1901, the number was 86,806, an increase of 3,147, although the population at all ages increased in the quinquennium by 9-86 per cent. Between 1886 and 1891 the children living under five years actually decreased in number by 3,624, the increase of population of all ages (8-33 per cent.) being less than between 1891 and 1896 (12-24 per cent.) or 1896 and 1901 (986 per cent.). The number of children under one year to the total population at all ages, according to the results of four censuses, was : — Children under Total Population One Year. (all Ages). Census 1886 ... ... ... ... ... 18,355 578,482 1891 ... ... ... ... ... 16,443 626,658 1896 ... ... ... ... ... 17,070 703,360 1901 ... ... ... ... ... 18,381 772,719 Thus, in 1886, with a population of 578,482 persons, there were 18,355 children under one year, against 18,381 children of that age in 1901, with a population of 772,719 persons. The births registered in 1885 were 19,693, against 19,546 in 1900. The birth-rate fell from 34-35 per 1,000 of the population in 1885 to 25-60 in 1900. Deducting 1,469, the number of deaths of children under one year registered in 1900, from 19,546, the number of births for that year, leaves 18,077, or within 304 of the living children under one year at the time of the last census. ii—H. 31.

Number of Births per 1,000 of Mean Population. Countries. "1894. 1895. 1896. 1897. 1898. 1899. 1900. 1901. 1902. 1903. Hungary ... Austria Italy German Empire Netherlands Scotland ... Norway England and Wales Belgium ... Sweden Switzerland Ireland 41-5 36-7 35-4 35-9 32-7 29-9 29-8 29-6 29'0 27-1 27-1 22-9 22-3 41-9 38-1 34-7 361 32-8 30-0 306 30-2 28-5 27-5 27-1 23-2 21-7 40-5 380 34-7 36-3 32-7 30-4 30-4 29-6 290 27-2 27-9 23-6 22-5 403 37-5 34-6 360 32-5 300 300 29-5 29-0 26-7 28-1 23-5 22-3 37-7 36-2 33-4 361 31-9 303 30-3 29-3 28-6 27-1 28-4 23-2 21-8 39-3 371 33-8 35-8 320 29-8 30-9 29-1 28-8 26-4 28-9 22'9 21-9 39-3 37-3 32-9 35-6 315 29-6 301 28'7 28-9 26-9 28-6 22-7 21-4 37-8 369 326 35-7 32-3 29-5 29-8 28-5 29'4 27-0 29-1 22-7 22-0 38-8 37-0 33-3 351 31-8 29'2 291 28-5 28-4 26-5 28-7 23-0 21-7 36-7 315 31-6 29-2 28-7 28-4 27-5 25-6 27-7 28-1 21-1 France