Baby numbers halve since 1960s

The number of births for the year to September was down two percent. Photo / Thinkstock

Women are having fewer than half the number of babies their 1960s counterparts had, statistics show.

The Statistics New Zealand (SNZ) figures released today showed women had an average of 2.1 babies for the year ended September 2011, compared with 4.3 in 1961, when the birth rate was at its peak.

In the early 1960s, the median age for women giving birth was 26 and those aged 20-24 had the highest fertility rate at 265 per 1000.

For the September 2011 year, women aged 20-24 had only 74 babies per 1000 women, with a median age of those giving birth of 30. Those aged 30-34 had the most babies, at 123 per 1000.

Women aged 40-44 accounted for 20 births per 1000 in the early 1960s, compared with 15 per 1000 in 2011.

The statistics showed 62,260 babies were born in the September 2011 year, down 1470 (two percent) on the previous year.

For the same time, 29,710 people died, up from 910 on the year before.

"The deaths, combined with the live births, results in a natural increase of 32,550, down from 34,940 the year before,'' SNZ population statistics manager Andrea Blackburn said.

The Auckland region accounted for 37 percent of births, at 22,910, followed by Canterbury (6900), Wellington (6560) and Waikato (5980) _ in line with their share of the population.

Auckland also accounted for the most deaths, at 7460.

"Although the Auckland region is home to approximately one third of New Zealand's population, it only accounted for one quarter of New Zealand's deaths,'' Ms Blackburn said.

"This is due to the region's relatively young age structure.''

The February 22 Christchurch earthquake was partly responsible for an increase in deaths in the region, from 4190 in the year ended September 2010 to 4520 in 2011.

However, more deaths were also recorded throughout the rest of the year.

Other facts for the year ended September 2011:

* Median age of death for women was 83 and 77 for men;

* Only five percent of those who died were aged under 40;

* 4.8 babies per 1000 died before they turned one, down from 5.2 the year before and from 22.4 in 1961.