Births and stillbirths, 2023
Released: 2024-09-25
The number of live births in Canada in 2023 was virtually unchanged compared to 2022 at 351,477. This follows a 5.0% decline in the number of births from 2021 to 2022.
While birth patterns have fluctuated from 2019 to 2022, the number of births has generally been declining in Canada since 2017.
New information on 2023 births and stillbirths is available today from the Canadian Vital Statistics: Birth Database and the Canadian Vital Statistics: Stillbirth Database.
Canada's fertility rate reaches a new record-low in 2023
Total fertility rate is an estimate of the average number of live births a woman can be expected to have in her reproductive life if she experienced, at each age, the fertility rates observed in a given year. 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.
Canada has now joined the group of "lowest-low" fertility countries, including South Korea, Spain, Italy and Japan, with 1.3 children per woman or less. In comparison, the total fertility rate for the United States was 1.62 per woman in 2023.
A record-low was registered in 10 of the 13 provinces and territories, with the lowest fertility rate in British Columbia at 1.00 child per woman. From 2022 to 2023 fertility fell among women aged 15 to 44 years. To find out more, visit Fertility indicators, provinces and territories: Interactive dashboard.
Rate of premature births highest in 50 years
Preterm infants are at an increased risk of illness, hospitalization, and death, with risks generally increasing with decreasing gestational age. 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% in 1993 to 8.3% in 2023. The rate in 2023 was higher than in any of the previous 50 years.
Chart 1
The proportion of births at less than 37 weeks of gestation, 1974 to 2023
Older mothers are at higher risk of preterm birth
The increase in the rate of premature births could be related to the higher proportion of older mothers, as risk of a premature birth increases as the age of the mother increases. In 2023, 26.5% of mothers were aged 35 years and older, compared to 10.7% in 1993.
Preterm birth rates in 2023 were higher among older women (9.0% of births among mothers aged 35 to 39 years and 11.9% of births among mothers aged 40 and older) compared to younger women (7.7% of births among mothers aged 25 to 29 years and 7.8% of births among mothers aged 30 to 34 years).
Most premature births (63.4%) occurred from 35 to 36 weeks of gestation in 2023, but 1,609 babies were born extremely premature, at less than 28 weeks.
Babies born to teenage mothers have an increasingly higher risk of a low birth weight
In the past 30 years, the share of babies born to mothers who were 15 to 19 years of age has declined from 6.0% in 1993 to 1.3% in 2023. The percentage of babies born with a low birth weight (less than 2,500 grams) among this age group, however, increased from 6.7% in 1993 to 9.6% in 2023.
The Baby Names Observatory has been updated today with data for 2023. For the third straight year, Noah was the most popular name for boys. For girls, Olivia remained in the top spot for the eighth year in a row.
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Note to readers
The difference in the number of live births in Canada from 2022 to 2023 is 202 fewer births. This represents a difference of 0%.
In 2023, in an effort to be more timely, the duration of data collection was shortened compared with previous years. Therefore, the 2022 and 2023 data are considered preliminary and will be revised with subsequent releases.
Preliminary birth and stillbirth counts are based on what provincial and territorial vital statistics registries report to Statistics Canada.
Data for 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 births and stillbirths that occurred in Yukon are not available. To avoid confusion, data for births to residents of Yukon that occurred in other provinces and territories for these same years were also suppressed. Yukon is also excluded from the total number of live births in Canada in 2023.
Further information on fertility indicators is available in tables 13-10-0417-01 and 13-10-0418-01. Data related to baby names can be found in the table 17-10-0147-01.
Information on fertility rates in the United States is from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Vital Statistics Rapid Release report No. 35.
Information on the risks of preterm births comes from an article by Saroj S and Doyle L. An overview of mortality and sequelae of preterm birth from infancy to adulthood. The Lancet, 2008, 371 (9608) 261 – 269; an article by Pravia C and Benny M. Long-term consequences of prematurity. Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine. 2020, 87 (12), 759-767; and an article by Morniroli D, Tiraferri V et al. Beyond survival: the lasting effects of premature birth. Frontiers in Pediatrics, 2023, 11:1213243. Information on the effect of maternal age on preterm births comes from an article by Fuchs F, Monet B, et al. Effect of maternal age on the risk of preterm birth: A large cohort study. PLoS One, 2018, 13 (1) e0191002.
Products
Fertility indicators, provinces and territories: Interactive dashboard permits the visualization of various fertility indicators and how they have changed over time for Canada, provinces and territories.
The Baby Names Observatory visualizes the popularity of baby names over time for Canada.
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; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).
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