Births, 2012
Archived Content
Information identified as archived is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please "contact us" to request a format other than those available.
Released: 2016-02-10
In 2012, there were 381,869 live births in Canada, of which 51.4% were male and 48.6% were female. Combined, the provinces of Ontario (37.1%), Quebec (23.3%), Alberta (13.8%) and British Columbia (11.5%) accounted for 85.7% of these births.
The total fertility rate in Canada in 2012 was 1,614.2 live births per 1,000 females, up from 1,501.4 in 2002. Over the same period, age-specific fertility rates (number of live births per 1,000 females in a specific age group) declined among the youngest age groups (15 to 19, 20 to 24, and 25 to 29 years) and increased among women 30 years of age and over.
The average age of Canadian mothers at the time of delivery was 29.8 years in 2012, up from 29.0 in 2002 and 27.9 in 1992. Less than one-half (46.9%) of all births in 2012 were born to mothers younger than 30 years of age, compared with nearly two-thirds (62.1%) in 1992. The last two decades have shown a tendency for women to delay their first child. From 1992 to 2012, the proportion of all first births born to women 30 to 49 years old substantially increased from 24.8% to 41.2%.
Note to readers
Data on births are collected by the Vital Statistics – Birth Database, an administrative survey that collects demographic and medical information annually from all provincial and territorial vital statistics registries on all live births in Canada.
The data are used to calculate basic indicators (such as counts and rates) on births of residents of Canada. Information from this database is also used in the calculation of statistics, such as age-specific fertility rates.
Data for reference year 2012 from the Vital Statistics – Birth Database are now available. Statistics on infant deaths for the 2012 reference year are also available in CANSIM tables 102-0506, 102-0507 and 102-0562.
Products
The fact sheet "Trends in Canadian births, 1992 to 2012," from the publication Health Fact Sheets (82-625-X), is now available from the Browse by key resource module of our website under Publications.
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; STATCAN.infostats-infostats.STATCAN@canada.ca) or Media Relations (613-951-4636; STATCAN.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.STATCAN@canada.ca).
- Date modified: