Registrar-Generals-Department-Annual-report-1966-1967 — Page 14

of the 1,952 debts totalling $126,974,000 outstanding at the end of the year is included in paragraph 120.

Births, Marriages and Deaths

16. The number of births registered in 1966 continued the down- ward trend from the peak of 115,263 in 1963, and was in fact at 92,476 the lowest total since 1956. For the sixth successive year the birth rate fell, the 1966 rate of 24.8 per 1,000 of population being 2.9 below the revised figure for 1965. As will be seen from the com- parative rates given in paragraph 154, the Hong Kong rate is well below the estimates of 38 for Asia and 34 for the World, and is now not much larger than the rate of 22.2 in Ireland. 2,103 births were post-registered more than one year after birth, and 107 entries made in the Adopted Children Register.

17. 17,846 marriages were registered under the Marriage Ordinance, a record number exceeding by 2,313 the previous year's record of 15,533. However, in 1,517 cases out of the 17,846 the couples had peviously been married to each other by customary ceremonies of one kind or another so that the number of 'new' marriages was really 16,329. The year's total comprised 1,866 marriages at 121 licensed places of worship and 15,980 marriages at Marriage Registries. In addition to these registered marriages there will have been many thousands of non-Christian customary marriages celebrated according to the personal law and religion of the parties. No records of such customary marriages are available, but it is estimated that there may have been about three of these for every four registered marriages. So far as registered marriages are concerned the trend for girls to marry younger gained momentum with a rise of 2.96% to 4,562 in the number of girls marry- ing under 21. There was a further gratifying increase of 199 to 1,180 in the number of marriages performed in New Territories Registries. This is more than five times as many as in 1960-61 when the Registries were opened, and more than double the number performed only three years ago.

18. 18,700 deaths were registered, 1,079 more than in 1965 and the highest number since 1963. This resulted in a 2 rise in the crude death rate to 5.0 per 1,000 of population, which is probably the lowest in the world, and compares with an estimated 10 in Europe, 20 in Asia, and 16 in the World (see paragraph 154). The infant mortality rate rose 1.2 to 24.9 per 1,000 live births, breaking a downward trend which had continued unbroken since 1950, when the rate was 99.6.

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