Fewer births and deaths, declining natural decrease
According to preliminary data, in the first seven months of 2018, the number of live births was 1.9% and that of deceases was 2.7% fewer than in the same period of 2017. As a result, the natural decrease was by 1,137 (4.2%) fewer than in the first seven months of 2017. In July 2018, the number of live births was nearly the same and that of deceases was 3.6% more than in the same month a year earlier. The natural decrease was 1,792 persons, by 349 more than in July a year earlier.
In July 2018:
8,264 children were born, which is almost the same as the number of births a year earlier, with only 4 fewer newborn infants than in July 2017.
The number of deceased people was 10,056, which meant an increase of 3.6% or numerically 345 more deceases than in the same month of the previous year.
Due to the unchanged number of births and the increase in the number of deaths, the natural decrease was 1,792 as opposed to 1,443 in July 2017, which meant a rise of 24%.
The number of marriages declined, and the number of 6,047 marriages registered was by 675 (10%) fewer than the figure in July 2017.
In January–July 2018:
51,356 children were born, 1,021 (1.9%) fewer than in January–July 2017. In January and June a slight increase, in February–May a decline occurred, and in July almost the same number of live births was registered than a year earlier. The largest drop of 7.2% occurred in May.
The estimated total fertility rate was 1.46, which remained unchanged compared to the same period of the previous year.
77,059 people died, 2.7% or numerically 2,158 fewer than in the same period of the previous year. Except for the more than 15% increase in March and 3.6% growth in July, the number of deaths decreased in the other months compared to the corresponding months of the previous year. Compared to the high base value, the largest decrease of 22% was recorded in January.
The number of live births decreased less than that of deaths, as a result of which natural decrease fell from 26,840 in January–July 2017 to 25,703 persons, which meant an improvement of 4.2%.
The number of marriages was 28,294, 0.7% or numerically 209 fewer than the one registered in the same period last year. In the first two months of the year and in May–June more marriages were registered than a year earlier. The largest increase of 7.8% was in June and the most significant, 10% drop occurred in July, both of them in the wedding season. The latter was due to the fact that there were one more weekends in the base period of last July.
There were 9.0 live births and 13.6 deceases per thousand inhabitants. The former was 0.2 per mille point and the latter was 0.4 per mille point lower than the value of January–July 2017, as a result of which the rate of natural decrease fell by 0.2 per mille point to 4.5 per mille. The number of infant deaths was 3.4 per thousand live births in the first seven months of 2018, which meant a decrease of 0.2 per mille point compared to the value in the previous year. The marriage rate of 5.0 per mille was the same as the one in the same period of the previous year.
Main data of vital events, January–July 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 | 51 356 | –1.9 | 9.0 | –1.8 |
| Death | 77 059 | –2.7 | 13.6 | –2.5 |
| Infant death | 177 | –8.3 | 3.4a) | –6.5 |
| Natural decrease | –25 703 | –4.2 | –4.5 | –4.1 |
| Marriage | 28 294 | –0.7 | 5.0 | –0.5 |
a) Per thousand live births.