Fertility indicators, provinces and territories: Interactive dashboard

Additional information

Notes

The data contained in this interactive dashboard comes from the Canadian Vital Statistics - Birth database (CVSB) and the Annual Demographic Estimates: Canada, Provinces and Territories. For more information on the birth and fertility indicators used to generate this dashboard, please see the documentation provided in the source tables listed in the Data section above.

During the production of each year's birth statistics, data from previous years may be revised to reflect any updates or changes that have been received from the provincial and territorial vital statistics registrars.

Data after 2016 are not available for the Yukon.

Due to improvements in methodology and timeliness, the duration of data collection has been shortened compared to previous years. As a result, there may have been fewer births captured by the time of the release. Births from the most recent year are considered preliminary and previous data may have been revised.

The geographic distribution of live births in this table is based on the mother's usual place of residence.

Includes live births to mothers who are residents of Canada, with unknown province or territory of residence. Births for which the province of residence is unknown, and not imputed with the place of occurrence, were prorated using the observed distribution.

The population estimates used are the most recent available at time of dissemination, adjusted for census net undercoverage (CNU) and incompletely enumerated Indian reserves (IEIR).

Nunavut was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999. Data for Nunavut and the Northwest Territories are presented individually starting in the year 1999.

Definitions

Age-specific fertility rate

Age-specific fertility rate is the number of live births per 1,000 women in a specific age group. The calculation consists of dividing the number of births to mothers by the population of women, for each unique age, and then multiplying by 1,000. Five-year age groups were used in these tabulations (ranging from 15 to 19 years to 45 to 49 years).

Annual change in births

The annual change in births is the difference between the number of births in a given year and the number of births in the previous year. The annual percentage change consists of dividing the annual difference by the number of births in the previous year and then multiplying by 100.

Average age of childbearing

The average age of mothers at childbirth is the mean age of mothers at the birth of their child for a given year. Average age is calculated by summing the single-age fertility rates that have been multiplied by the mid-year age, and then dividing this sum by the total fertility rate. Births for which the age of the mother is unknown were prorated using the observed distribution.

Live birth

Live birth is the complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product of conception, irrespective of the duration of the pregnancy, which, after such separation, breathes or shows any other evidence of life, such as beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles, whether or not the umbilical cord has been cut or the placenta is attached.

Mother’s age

Age of mother attained at the last birthday preceding delivery.

Total fertility rate

Total fertility rate is an estimate of the average number of live births a women can be expected to have in her reproductive life, based on the age-specific fertility rates of a given year. The total fertility rate is the sum of single year of age-specific fertility rates divided by 1,000.

To learn more

The Population and Demography Statistics portal is available for more information on the subject of fertility.