Birth rate declined, deaths increased in second quarter
Data shows reduction in number of infants born despite expectation of ‘baby boom’ due to stay-at-home measures
PUTRAJAYA: Productivity has fallen, not just at the workplace but in the bedchamber too.
The latest data from the Statistics Department shows that the number of births in Malaysia in the second quarter of this year declined 4.4% compared with the same period last year.
A total of 111,573 babies were born from April to June this year, compared with 116,688 in the same period of 2020.
An anticipated increase in birth rate as a result of couples being forced to stay home for longer periods has somehow proven unfounded.
In a statement issued yesterday, chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said more girls than boys were born in that period. Of the total, 55,881 were girls and 55,692 were boys.
Selangor was the most productive, accounting for 20,389 babies.
“It was anticipated earlier that the lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19 would lead to a baby boom, but the statistics tell us otherwise,” Mohd Uzir said.
Nonetheless, Malaysia is not unique. A similar decline has been observed in other countries too, such as the US, South Korea, the
UK and Spain.
However, more deaths were recorded in the second quarter of this year compared with the same period last year.
A total of 44,307 breathed their last from March to June this year, compared with 40,241 in the same period last year, accounting for a 10.1% increased.
Covid-19 accounted for 3,898 deaths, almost 9% of the fatalities in the second quarter of this year, rising from 1,272 on March 31 to 5,170 on June 30. In the same period last year, 78 deaths were attributed to Covid-19.
Mohd Uzir said Selangor account for 6,818 deaths, the highest for any state, during the quarter. Putrajaya, had only 53 deaths, the lowest in the country.
The data also showed that the highest death toll attributed to Covid-19 was recorded by those in the age group of 65 to 69, followed by those aged 70 to 74, he said.
“Selangor registered the highest number of deaths due to Covid-19 with 1,236 deaths while Putrajaya registered the lowest with only four deaths,” he said.
Mohd Uzir added the Covid-19 pandemic did not have a significant impact on Malaysia’s life expectancy at birth.
“A baby born in 2021 is expected to live up to the age of 75.6 years, 1.3 years longer than a decade ago, 74.3 years in 2011,” he said.
Based on current population estimates, Malaysia’s population in the second quarter of 2021 was estimated at 32.66 million, an increase of 0.2% compared with 32.58 million in the second quarter of 2020.
The total population comprised 29.96 million citizens, or 91.8%, while 2.69 million of 8.2% were non-citizens.
He said the composition of non-citizens declined from 8.9% in the second quarter of 2020 to 8.2% in the second quarter of 2021. – Bernama