Statistics Canada released preliminary data for births in Canada, except Yukon, on Tuesday.
In 2020, there were 358,604 live births in Canada, excluding Yukon. There were 13,434 fewer births in 2020 than in 2019 (372,038), the greatest year-over-year decrease (3.6%) and the lowest number of births in any year since 2006. The decline from 2019 to 2020 was observed in every province and territory in Canada.
December 2020 had the lowest monthly total in the last five years, While it’s tempting to attribute the low number to social distancing, it may in part be the result of incomplete data from Manitoba.
Similar to previous years, the proportion of boys (51.4%) was slightly higher than the proportion of girls (48.6%).
During the pandemic, a small but increasing proportion of births are occurring outside hospitals.
Many children were born in my Ottawa neighbourhood in 2019/2020-almost all girls. Young professional couples have moved into our area. In 2021 many of them are having a 2nd child, and working from home. It is strollerland, here. We retired folk also walk around the “hood”, or watch the world go by.