Registrar-Generals-Department-Annual-report-1966-1967 — Page 56

Births Registered

155. The number of births registered in 1966 was 92,476, comprising 90,952 Chinese (47,071 male and 43,881 female), and 1,524 non- Chinese (751 male and 773 female). Table XXXII gives (a) the number of births registered during the years 1957 to 1966 by sex and race with the percentages of males and females, and of Chinese and non- Chinese, and (b) the live birth rates per thousand of population for the same years. The total number of births registered in 1966 decreased by 9,719 from 102,195 in 1965, and was in fact the lowest total since 1955, when the total was 90,511 and the birth rate 38.7. As will be seen from the Table, 1966 was also the first year since 1957 in which the total was below 100,000. The Table also shows that the birth rate has fallen continuously in each of the six years since 1960, when the rate was 37.1. The highest rate recorded was 39.7 in 1956. As compared with 1965 the year's birth rate of 24.8 per thousand of population was down 2.9. It should be pointed out, however, that the basis of com- parison with the figures for 1965 is affected by the coming into force on 1st April 1965 of legislation providing for an extension of the period within which births may be registered without payment of any fee from 14 days to 42 days.

156. There used to be a distinct recurrent pattern in the incidence of births in the various quarters of the year, viz. first quarter, third highest; second quarter, lowest; third quarter, second highest; fourth quarter, highest. Births for the 11 years to 1964 followed this pattern except in 1958 and 1959, when the positions in the first two quarters were reversed, possibly due to changes in the registration procedure. In 1965 and 1966 there were further deviations from the normal pattern, the first quarter being second highest and the third quarter third highest. These deviations may also be due to a change in registration procedure, namely that mentioned in the foregoing paragraph.

157. Table XXXIII gives the births registered in 1964, 1965 and 1966 by district. This shows that in 1966 the numbers registered on Hong Kong Island, in Kowloon and New Kowloon, and in the New Territories dropped by 2,567, 5,156 and 1,996 respectively, representing falls of 10.2%, 9.0% and 10.2%-

158. On Hong Kong Island decreases occurred in all areas, the principal ones being 603 in Eastern, 722 at Shau Kei Wan, and 719 at Tung Wah Hospital. On the other hand, in Kowloon and New

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