Birth rate declines 3.2% in just two years

There was a marked decline in the country’s birth rate over the past two years.

Perinatal statistics published today by the Economic and Social Research Institute reveal a drop of more than 3% in the number of births between 2011 and 2012.

There were 71,986 births notified to the National Perinatal Reporting System on pregnancy outcomes in 2012, compared to 74,377 the previous year — a 3.2% reduction since 2011.