Quebec will experience a new increase in births in 2021

84,900 births were recorded in the province in 2021, an increase of approximately 3,000 (+4%) compared to the previous year. In 2019, the number of births was 84,309.

From 2013 to 2018, Quebec recorded a downward trend in births. Then, in 2019 and then in 2021, the province was marked by a slight increase. However, we will have to wait for the results of the next few years to find out if Quebec is experiencing a new cycle of births, this time on the rise, explainsISQ.

In September, the number of births was the highest, reaching more than 250 births per day. A trajectory similar to the years 2019 and 2020.

43,700 males were born in 2021, more than 41,200 females. A trend that is usually followed every year.

Fertility rate

The synthetic fertility index is also following the increase, after experiencing a decline in 2020. For the year 2021, it is at 1.58 children per woman. In 2020 and 2019, it is positioned at 1.52 and 1.57 respectively.

With the exception of women aged 25 to 44, where the index rose slightly in 2021, among women aged 24 and below the number of children per woman continues to decline.

All regions, except Montreal, experienced an increase in births in 2021, compared to the years 2019 and/or 2020. Montreal also recorded the lowest index, at 1.3 children per woman. Nord-du-Québec has the highest rate with 2.7 children per woman.

International

The decline in births associated with the first months of the pandemic, from November 2020 to January 2021, is a phenomenon that extends worldwide, can we read in the bulletin produced byISQ. It mainly affects developed countries such as France, Belgium, the United States and Spain.

As for the fertility index, in 2021, it also increased after the decline in 2020, particularly in France, the United States and New Zealand, according to data gathered so far.