HK's baby graph loses old bounce

THERE were 70,451 babies born in Hong Kong in 1993. The number was much lower than that in the 1980s. In 1983, 10 years ago, the number was 83,293.

Some 85 per cent of babies born in 1993 were either the first or second child of mothers. The corresponding figure for 1983 was 79 per cent.

The age of mothers to whom the babies were born has also risen over the years. In 1993, 36 per cent of babies were born to mothers aged 30-34, 35 per cent to mothers aged 25-29, and only 14 per cent to mothers aged 20-24. Ten years ago, the corresponding figures were 22, 43 and 26 per cent, respectively.

The number of babies born in the territory is obviously related to the size of its population. The birth rate (or more precisely called 'crude birth rate'), which is defined as the number of live births per 1,000 population, is a measure of the child-bearing tendency of a population.

Live births are babies born alive and are contrasted with 'still births'.

The crude birth rate is calculated by dividing the number of live births in a given year by the average population size in that year. Usually the population at mid-year is taken as the average population size.

Over the past decade, Hong Kong's crude birth rate (expressed as number per 1,000 population) dropped significantly from 15.6 in 1983 to 12.0 in 1993.