Published on: 28 January 2022

7,336 children born and 16,106 people lose their lives in December

In December 2021, 7,336 children were born and 16,106 people died according to preliminary data. Compared to December 2020, the number of live births was up by 1.8% and that of deaths decreased by 6.1%. 4,320 couples got married, which was 30% more than in December 2020.

In December 2021:

A total of 7,336 children were born, 1.8% or 131 more than in December 2020.

16,106 people lost their lives, 6.1% less or 1,048 fewer than in December 2020. The reason for the significant decrease was the high December 2020 base value in the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. 44% or 4,896 more people died, however, compared to the corresponding period of 2019.

The number of deaths was lower, while that of births slightly higher than in the same month last year, as a result of which the natural decrease lessened by 12% and was 8,770 as opposed to 9,949 in December 2020.

4,320 couples got married, which was 30% or 1,008 more than in December 2020.

In January–December 2021:

93,000 children were born, which was 0.7% or 662 more than in 2020. The last time the number of births was as high was in 2016. Within this, 9.4% less children were born in January and 2.0% less in April–July and 5.8% more in February–March and 3.1% more in August–December than in the corresponding months of 2020.

The total fertility rate was estimated at 1.59 per female, compared with 1.56 for 2020.

There were 155,000 deaths, which was 9.9% or 13,998 more than one year earlier and 20% or 25,397 more than in 2019, the last year before the coronavirus pandemic. 12% more people died in January–February, 51% more in March–April and 9.2% more in May–July and 0.1% less in August–September and 5.9% less in October–December than in the same period of 2020.

The number of deaths went up more significantly than that of births, as a result of which the natural decrease was 62,000 as opposed to 48,664 in 2020, which was a rise of 27%.

72,000 couples got married, which was 7.3% or 4,905 more than a year earlier. The last time the number of marriages was as high was in 1986. 7.0% less marriages were registered in January–February and 13% less in August–October and 5.2% more in March, 33% more in April–July and 18% more in November–December than in the corresponding months of 2020.

There were 9.6 live births and 16.0 deaths per thousand population. The rate of live births was 0.1 per mille point and that of deaths 1.5 per mille points higher than in 2020, as a result of which the rate of natural decrease was up by 1.4 per mille points to 6.4 per mille. The number of infant deaths was 3.3 per thousand live births in 2021, which was 0.2 per mille point less than one year earlier. The marriage rate was 7.4 per mille, which was 0.5 per mille point higher than in 2020.

The positive balance of international migration lowered the natural decrease of the population, as a result of which the estimated number of the resident population, updated on the basis of the 2011 census, was 9,689 thousand at the end of 2021.

Main data on vital events, January–December 2021

Vital events Number Change compared to same period of previous year, % Per thousand population Change compared to same period of previous year, %
Live births93 0000.79.61.1
Deaths155 0009.916.010.4
Infant deaths305–4.43.3a)–5.1
Natural increase/decrease–62 00027.4–6.427.9
Marriages72 0007.37.47.8

a) Per thousand live births.