N.Z. BIRTH RATE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 11, Issue 30, 19 May 1947, Page 3

N.Z. BIRTH RATE

GLAD TIDINGS The European infant mortality rate in New Zealand for 1946, which was 25.35 deaths per 1,000 set a new low record for the Dominion and the lowest figure on record in any year for any country, says the Abstract of Statistics for January. It states that New Zealand’s infant, mortality rate, that is, the number of deaths of infants under one year of age per 1,000 live births, in respect of its European population is normally the lowest in any country in the world. The number of live births, exclusive of Maoris, was 41,872, which was a record, says the Abstract, and the birth-rate 25.24 per 1,000 of population was the highest recorded since 1917.

“An interesting feature of the •statistics for the last three years is that the proportion of first births to total births is not unduly high (as was the case in 1940 and 1941), indicating that, additions to existing families have contributed in a large measure to the record number of births,” says the Abstract. . “The number of marriages and the marriage rate in 194f8 were both records for the Dominion, so that it may be expected that the birth-rate for 1947 will show an increase on the 1946 figure, with an increase in the number of first births.

“It is impossible to judge yet whether the favourable trend in the birth-rate in 1944-46 represents the beginning of a reversal of the previous long-term downward trend. It is of interest to note, however, that the present experience compares very favourably with the situation after the war of 1914-18. The birthrate actually fell from 23.44 per 1,000 in 1918 to 21.42 in 1919, recovered sharply to 25.09 in 1920, fell considerably in 1921, but continuously to 16.17 by 1935. In contrast, the rate began to increase in 1944 and the increase has continued. The effects of the family allowance scheme will not be evident for some time yet.”