Record low birth rate

Wellington: A statistician says New Zealand’s record low number of births is a sign of a growing trend.

New data from Stats NZ shows the country’s women are averaging 1.6 births over their lifetime — well below the population replacement rate of 2.1.

Stats NZ insights analyst Rebekah Hennessey said the drop was being driven by a decrease in overall births and an increase in the number of women of reproductive age.

In 2020, 57,753 births were registered, down 3% from the previous year, while there was a 2% increase in the number of women aged 1549 years. Most babies born in 2020 were conceived before New Zealand moved to Covid19 Alert Level 4 in March last year, the report said.