Statistics Canada says the country's fertility rate hit a 10-year high in 2006, but that women are waiting longer to have children.
The agency reports that average number of children per woman rose to 1.59 in 2006 from 1.54 in 2005.
Statscan says there were 354,617 births in Canada two years ago, an increase of 3.6 per cent - or 12,441 births - from the year before.
The agency says it was the largest annual increase since 1989 and that the figure marked the fourth consecutive year of growth.
But it also noted that women are postponing having children until later in life.
The average age of women giving birth has risen to 29 years from 27 years over the last two decades.
The fertility rate declined for women in their twenties during this period, but climbed steadily for women in their thirties, Statistics Canada said.
The fertility rate among women aged 30 to 34 surpassed that of women aged 25 to 29 for the first time in 2006, it noted. It has outpaced the fertility rate for women aged 20 to 24 since 1989.
Births were up in every province and territory except for Nova Scotia and the Northwest Territories from 2005 to 2006, the agency reported.
Quebec and Alberta were the largest contributors to the national increase in births, accounting for 70 per cent of the total increase.
Canada hit 10-year fertility rate high in 2006: Statscan
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Published on
September 27, 2008
- Published on July 1, 2010
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The Canadian Press ~ The News
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