Fewer deaths and birth, declining natural decrease
According to preliminary data, in January–April of 2018, the number of live births was 1.7% and that of deceases was 4.4% less than in the same period of 2017. As a result, the natural decrease was 1,680 (8.1%) fewer than in January–April 2017. In April 2018, the number of live births was 1.9% and that of deceases was 1.6% less than a year earlier. The natural decrease was 3,739 persons, 45 fewer than in April a year earlier.
In April 2018:
6,711 children were born, 127 or 1.9% less than in April 2017.
The number of deceased people was 10,450, which meant a decrease of 1.6% or numerically 172 fewer deceases than in April of the previous year.
The number of deaths decreased more than that of births, as a result of which natural decrease was 3,739 as opposed to 3,784 in April 2017, which meant a slight improvement of 1.2%.
The number of marriages decreased, and the number of 3,301 marriages registered was by 280 (7.8%) fewer than the figure in April 2017.
In January–April 2018:
28,476 children were born, by 503 (1.7%) fewer than in January–April 2017. In January 0.5% more, in February–April 2.6% less children were born on the average than in the corresponding months of 2017.
The estimated total fertility rate was 1.43, the same as the value calculated for the same period in the previous year.
47,412 people died, which meant a decrease of 4.4% or numerically 2,183 fewer deceases than in the same period of the previous year. In January 2018, 22% and in February, 4.0% less deaths occurred than in the previous year. In March, the number of deaths increased considerably, by 15%, then in April, it decreased again (by 1.6%).
The number of deaths decreased to a larger extent than that of live births, as a result of which natural decrease fell from 20,616 in January–April 2017 to 18,936 persons, which meant an improvement of 8.1%.
The number of marriages was 2.7% or numerically 262 fewer than the one registered in the same period last year. In January and February, the number of marriages increased by 0.9%, while in March and April, it fell by 4.6% on the average.
There were 8.9 live births and 14.8 deceases per thousand inhabitants. The former was 0.1 per mille point and the latter was 0.7 per mille point down on the value in January–April 2017, as a result of which the rate of natural decrease fell by 0.5 per mille point to 5.9 per mille. The number of infant deaths was 3.5 per thousand live births in the first four months of 2018, which meant a decrease of 0.5 per mille point compared to the value in the previous year. The marriage rate of 2.9 per mille was 0.1 per mille point lower than a year earlier.
Main data of vital events, January–April 2018
| Vital event | Number | Change compared to the same period of the previous year, % | Per thousand inhabitants | Change compared to the same period of the previous year, % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Live birth | 28 476 | –1.7 | 8.9 | –1.6 |
| Death | 47 412 | –4.4 | 14.8 | –4.2 |
| Infant death | 99 | –14.7 | 3.5a) | –13.1 |
| Marriage | 9 425 | –2.7 | 2.9 | –2.5 |
| Natural decrease | –18 936 | –8.1 | –5.9 | –8.0 |
a) Per thousand live births.