Amid the turmoil of a deadly pandemic, Canada’s birthrate dropped sharply in 2020, according to preliminary new data from Statistics Canada.
The number of births dropped by 3.6% last year, which marked the largest year-over-year decline since 2006, StatsCan said. The number of babies born declined in every province and territory, it said.
The pandemic likely drove the reduction in births in several ways, StatsCan said. Travel restrictions curbed births from new immigrants, while the social and economic effects of the crisis discouraged people from having children.
Recent StatsCan survey research found that many families delayed having children and/or reduced the number of children they planned to have due to the pandemic, citing factors such as decreased financial security, reduced employment, and diminished availability of child care with schools and daycares closed.
Similar trends were evident in other countries including the U.S., England and Wales, StatsCan said.