Birth rate lowest in decade

Numbers down markedly for under 20s but up in older age groups, report reveals

New Zealand has the lowest birth rate in a decade, a new report has revealed. Birth rates for women under 30 have dropped while rates for older women increased.

The Ministry of Health’s latest Report on Maternity shows that in 2015 58,957 women were recorded as giving birth.

This is a birth rate — the number of births as a proportion of women aged 15-44 years — of 63.6 per 1000 women of reproductive age — the lowest since 2006.

The report also found that between 2006 and 2015 birth rates for women aged under 30 dropped, particularly for those under 20 — whose birth rate fell by more than a third.

But birth rates for women 35 years and over significantly increased, particularly for those 40 and over — whose birth rate jumped 15 per cent.

In 2015, almost two-thirds of women had a spontaneous vaginal birth, one-quarter had a caesarean section, and the remainder had an assisted vaginal birth. The average birthweight was 3.41kg and 3.7 per cent of women gave birth at home.

More than half of women who gave birth in 2015 were identified as Younger than 20: 20-24: 25-29: 30-34: 35-39: 40 and older: overweight (28 per cent) or obese (25.6 per cent) — an increase over recent years.

The report shows 14.2 per cent of pregnant women smoked early in their pregnancy, down 2 per cent compared to 2008 — about 1170 fewer smokers.

Health Minister Dr Jonathan Coleman said evidence was clear that the earlier pregnant women quit smoking, the better it is for their baby’s health.

“Smoking is the primary preventable cause of stillbirth, premature delivery and low birth-weight for babies. It also increases babies’ risk of sudden unexplained death in infancy [Sudi].”