B.C. has lowest fertility rate in the country: Stats Can

There are growing concerns about the future of population growth in this country.

Statistics Canada has revealed the nation’s fertility rate reached a new record-low in 2023 — the most recent year for which numbers were made available.

“Canada’s rate has been generally declining for over 15 years and reached a new low in 2023 of 1.26 children per woman. This decline from 2022 to 2023 mostly reflects an increase in the number of women of childbearing age in 2023, as the number of births was similar in both years,” shows the Stats Can report.

“The number of live births in Canada in 2023 was virtually unchanged compared to 2022 at 351,477.”

As a result, the federal agency says Canada has joined a group of “lowest-low” fertility countries, which also include Italy, Japan, Spain, and South Korea with 1.3 children per woman or fewer.

“In comparison, the total fertility rate for the United States was 1.62 per woman in 2023,” finds the report. “The number of live births in Canada in 2023 was virtually unchanged compared to 2022 at 351,477. This follows a five per cent decline in the number of births from 2021 to 2022.”

There’s also a unfortunate trend when it comes to premature babies, which are often at an increased risk of illness, hospitalization and death.

“In Canada, the rate of premature births (occurring at less than 37 weeks of gestation) has increased by over a percentage point over the past 30 years, from 7.1 per cent in 1993 to 8.3 per cent in 2023. The rate in 2023 was higher than in any of the previous 50 years.”

Among all the provinces and territories, Statistics Canada says B.C. is at the bottom of the list at one child per woman. A total of 41,268 babies were born in the province last year.

The low birthrate, Statistics Canada findings suggest, may be related to the lack of affordability in B.C.

A 2023 study by the agency found those 15-29 years old were very frustrated with things like the cost of living crisis, inflation and interest rates — all things they found affected them disproportionately compared to other generations, adding it was lowering their quality of life and affected their plans to start a family.