XN000022-1976-08-18 — Page 2

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 18, 1976

MORE THAN 78,000 BABIES BORN LAST YEAR

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THE NUMBER OF REGISTERED BIRTHS IN HONG KONG STAYED BELOW THE 100,000 MARK FOR THE TENTH SUCCESSIVE YEAR LAST YEAR.

WITH THE TOTAL STANDING AT 78,200, 1975 WAS THE FIRST YEAR SINCE 1972 IN WHICH A DROP WAS RECORDED WHEN COMPARED WITH THE PRECEEDING YEAR. THE FIGURE FOR 1974 WAS 81,879.

THE 1975 FIGURE WAS THE THIRD LOWEST IN THE PAST DECADE, COMING AFTER 77,465 IN 1970 AND 76,818 IN 1971.

OF THE TOTAL NUMBER OF REGISTERED BIRTHS, 76,157 WERE CHINESE AND 2,043 WERE NON-CHINESE.

JUST LIKE THE PREVIOUS YEARS, MORE BABY BOYS WERE BORN. THE NUMBER WAS 40,754 AS AGAINST 37,446 BABY GIRLS, BUT IT WAS THE FIRST TIME WHEN BABY GIRLS MADE UP LESS THAN 48 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL NUMBER OF BIRTHS.

A TOTAL OF 442 MULTIPLE BIRTHS WAS REGISTERED IN THE YEAR, 441 OF TWINS AND ONE OF TRIPLETS, PRODUCING ALTOGETHER 885 LIVEBORN BABIES. ALSO INCLUDED IN THE TOTAL NUMBER WERE 6,543 BIRTHS REGISTERED AS ILLEGITIMATE AND TEN FOUNDLINGS.

DURING THE SAME YEAR, THE NUMBER OF DEATHS REGISTERED DROPPED BY 859 TO 21,191. THEY COMPRISED 11,665 MALES, 9,521

FEMALES AND FIVE OF UNKNOWN SEX.

OF THE TOTAL, 1,315 DIED FROM ACCIDENTS OR SUICIDES.

CAUSES OF THE ACCIDENTAL DEATHS INCLUDE TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS, ACCIDENTAL POISONING, ACCIDENTAL FALLS FROM HEIGHTS AND OTHER ACCIDENTS WHILE SUICIDES WERE COMMITTED BY POISONING, JUMPS FROM HEIGHTS AND BY OTHER MEANS.

MORE MEN LOST THEIR LIVES IN ACCIDENTS AND SUICIDES. DURING THE YEAR, 534 MALES WERE KILLED IN ACCIDENTS AS COMPARED WITH 246 FEMALES. IN THE CASE OF SUICIDES, 326 MALES COMMITTED SUICIDES AS COMPARED WITH 209 FEMALES.

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