Table 5
Mean and median birth weight, by geography

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Mean and median birth weight, by geography
Place of residence of mother Birth weight
Both sexes Males Females
  Mean 1 Median 2 Mean 1 Median 2 Mean 1 Median 2
  grams
Canada 3,374 3,402 3,429 3,460 3,316 3,343
Newfoundland and Labrador 3,446 3,480 3,517 3,555 3,372 3,410
Prince Edward Island 3,446 3,450 3,515 3,530 3,374 3,391
Nova Scotia 3,419 3,459 3,483 3,515 3,351 3,380
New Brunswick 3,427 3,445 3,478 3,495 3,374 3,400
Quebec 3,357 3,385 3,415 3,445 3,296 3,325
Ontario 3,361 3,390 3,414 3,449 3,305 3,330
Manitoba 3,452 3,487 3,511 3,543 3,391 3,413
Saskatchewan 3,442 3,465 3,490 3,520 3,393 3,418
Alberta 3,344 3,380 3,399 3,440 3,285 3,320
British Columbia 3,401 3,425 3,457 3,490 3,342 3,364
Yukon 3,483 3,504 3,491 3,517 3,476 3,453
Northwest Territories 3,521 3,544 3,562 3,629 3,480 3,487
Nunavut 3,348 3,410 3,387 3,504 3,302 3,355
Unknown 0 0 0 0 0 0
1.
Mean birth weight is calculated for Canada, a province or a territory by summing the first weight of each newborn (obtained immediately after birth) and then dividing the sum by the total number of live births in that jurisdiction.
2.
Median birth weight refers to the middle value birth weight when newborns' birth weight is ranked from lightest to heaviest. In the case of an even number of observations, the median is the arithmetic average of the two middle values.
Note(s):
See "Data quality, concepts and methodology — Explanatory notes for the tables".
Source(s):
Statistics Canada, Canadian Vital Statistics, Birth Database (CANSIM table 102-4510).