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Ministry of Health
TABLE 1
LIVE BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES, AND STILLBIRTHS
BRITISH COLUMBIA, 1950-1998

  Mid-Year Live Births Deaths Marriages Stillbirths
Year Population Number Rate Number Rate Number Rate Number Rate
1950 1,137,000 27,116 23.8 11,581 10.2 11,110 9.8 369 13.4
1951 1,165,210 28,077 24.1 11,638 10.0 11,272 9.7 365 12.8
1952 1,205,000 29,827 24.8 12,080 10.0 11,081 9.2 375 12.4
1953 1,248,000 31,746 25.4 12,218 9.8 11,298 9.1 375 11.7
1954 1,295,000 32,946 25.4 12,414 9.6 10,991 8.5 373 11.2
1955 1,342,000 34,138 25.4 12,816 9.5 11,011 8.2 381 11.0
1956 1,398,464 36,241 25.9 13,415 9.6 11,950 8.5 413 11.3
1957 1,482,000 38,744 26.1 13,711 9.3 12,620 8.5 422 10.8
1958 1,538,000 39,577 25.7 13,741 8.9 12,094 7.9 414 10.4
1959 1,567,000 39,971 25.5 14,336 9.1 11,910 7.6 404 10.0
1960 1,602,000 40,116 25.0 14,696 9.2 11,203 7.0 437 10.8
1961 1,629,100 38,591 23.7 14,403 8.8 10,935 6.7 410 10.5
1962 1,660,000 38,128 23.0 14,912 9.0 11,196 6.7 377 9.8
1963 1,699,000 37,478 22.1 15,029 8.8 11,677 6.9 476 12.5
1964 1,745,000 35,897 20.6 16,051 9.2 12,158 7.0 485 13.3
1965 1,797,000 33,669 18.7 15,784 8.8 13,639 7.6 447 13.1
1966 1,873,674 32,502 17.3 16,290 8.7 14,682 7.8 409 12.4
1967 1,945,000 32,899 16.9 16,170 8.3 16,026 8.2 422 12.7
1968 2,003,000 33,687 16.8 16,828 8.4 16,914 8.4 433 12.7
1969 2,060,000 35,383 17.2 17,377 8.4 18,284 8.9 468 13.1
1970 2,128,000 36,861 17.3 17,020 8.0 20,020 9.4 407 10.9
1971 2,184,620 34,852 16.0 17,783 8.1 20,389 9.3 442 12.5
1972 2,241,400 34,563 15.4 18,021 8.0 20,659 9.2 356 10.2
1973 2,302,400 34,352 14.9 18,095 7.9 21,303 9.3 339 9.8
1974 2,375,700 35,450 14.9 19,177 8.1 21,734 9.1 364 10.2
1975 2,433,200 36,281 14.9 19,151 7.9 21,824 9.0 414 11.3
1976 2,466,610 35,848 14.5 18,788 7.6 21,536 8.7 361 10.0
1977 2,493,800 36,691 14.7 18,021 7.2 21,156 8.5 330 8.9
1978 2,530,100 37,231 14.7 19,057 7.5 21,388 8.5 331 8.8
1979 2,571,200 38,432 14.9 19,204 7.5 22,087 8.6 313 8.1
1980 2,640,100 40,104 15.2 19,371 7.3 23,830 9.0 316 7.8
1981 2,744,470 41,679 15.2 19,857 7.2 24,694 9.0 371 8.8
1982 2,787,700 42,942 15.4 20,704 7.4 23,831 8.5 317 7.3
1983 2,813,800 43,047 15.3 19,895 7.1 23,692 8.4 310 7.1
1984 2,847,700 44,040 15.5 20,781 7.3 23,394 8.2 303 6.8
1985 2,990,000 42,989 14.4 21,131 7.1 22,270 7.4 333 7.7
1986 3,020,400 41,845 13.9 21,006 7.0 21,819 7.2 309 7.3
1987 3,064,600 41,655 13.6 21,619 7.1 23,377 7.6 297 7.1
1988 3,128,200 42,913 13.7 22,361 7.1 24,469 7.8 292 6.8
1989 3,209,200 43,585 13.6 22,780 7.1 25,154 7.8 319 7.3
1990 3,300,100 45,333 13.7 23,398 7.1 25,185 7.6 292 6.4
1991 3,379,800 45,308 13.4 23,794 7.0 23,648 7.0 306 6.7
1992 3,476,868 46,048 13.2 24,445 7.0 23,756 6.8 301 6.5
1993 3,571,524 45,931 12.9 25,601 7.2 23,473 6.6 286 6.2
1994 3,681,750 46,837 12.7 25,824 7.0 23,763 6.5 312 6.6
1995 3,784,008 46,699 12.3 26,219 6.9 23,624 6.2 350 7.4
1996 3,882,043 45,958 11.8 27,385 7.1 22,879 5.9 292 6.3
1997 3,959,338 44,388 11.2 27,255 6.9 21,871 5.5 335 7.5
1998 4,009,922 42,909 10.7 27,791 6.9 21,749 5.4 279 6.5

Note: Rates shown for births, deaths and marriages are crude rates per 1,000 population.
Stillbirth rate is per 1,000 total births (live births plus stillbirths).
The definition of a stillbirth was revised in 1963 and 1986 (see glossary).
Population information from PEOPLE 23 (BCSTATS).
Above information includes late registrations and amemdments.
Gender unknown included. Non-residents are excluded from all data except marriages.

FIGURE 3
CRUDE RATES OF LIVE BIRTHS, DEATHS,
MARRIAGES AND STILLBIRTHS
BRITISH COLUMBIA, 1950 - 1998

CHART, CRUDE RATES, LIVE BIRTHS, DEATHS, MARRIAGES & STILLBIRTHS

HIGHLIGHTS TO TABLE 1/FIGURE 3

  • British Columbia's 1998 vital events continued to follow recent trends. As a result of social and demographic changes since 1950, the population of the province has more than tripled, the live birth and stillbirth rates have decreased by 55% and 51% respectively, the marriage rate has declined by 45%, and there has been a 32% decrease in the death rate.

  • In 1998, there were 42,909 live births in the province to B.C. residents, 21,911 males and 20,996 females, and two births where the gender was unknown (Appendix 1). The number of live births decreased by 1,479 births from 44,388 in 1997. The crude birth rate, 10.7 live births per 1,000 population, was the lowest birth rate to date, and was less than half of the birth rate of the 1950s. This year was the first year that the rate has been below 11.0 births per 1,000 population.

  • In 1998, there were 27,791 deaths of British Columbia residents in the province, up from 27,255 in the previous year. The crude death rate, 6.9 deaths per 1,000 population, was the same as the rate in 1997.

  • There were 21,749 marriages were solemnized in the province in 1998. This represents a slight decrease from 21,871 marriages in 1997, and a 14% decline from the peak of 25,185 marriages in 1990. The crude marriage rate has shown a consistent downward trend in the last two decades, from 9.0 marriages per 1,000 population in 1980 to 5.4 in 1998. This latest year was the third year in a row that there were fewer than 6.0 marriages per 1,000 population. Marriage statistics in this publication include all marriages that took place in the province, including those where one or both parties were non-B.C. residents.

  • There were 279 stillbirths in the province in 1998, a decrease from 335 in 1997. The crude stillbirth rate was 6.5 per 1,000 total births (live births and stillbirths) in 1998.