Registrar-Generals-Department-Annual-report-1970-1971 — Page 65

of unknown sex), comprising 20,424 Chinese (11,424 males, 8,995 females and 5 of unknown sex) and 339 non-Chinese (242 males and 97 females). The crude death rate accordingly rose from 4.69 to 5.27, which is, however, still the lowest rate of any of the countries listed in paragraph 167, with the exception of Singapore, and compares with an estimated 14 for the whole world in the Demographic Year Book 1969 (see paragraph 167). While once again due tribute must be paid to the efficiency of the Colony's medical and health services, it must be acknowledged that this exceptionally low rate to a large extent results from the age structure of the population, which contains an abnormally high proportion of younger people. Notwithstanding the rise in the crude death rate, the infant mortality rate dropped by 2.19 from 21.82 to 19.63 per thousand of live births.

181. Table XL gives the numbers of deaths registered by district in 1968, 1969 and 1970. It shows that of the 20,763 deaths in 1970, 6,158 (29.6%) were on Hong Kong Island, 13,154 (63.4%) in Kowloon and New Kowloon, and 1,451 (7.0%) in the New Territories. Table XLI gives the numbers of registered deaths by sex and age group during the five years 1966 to 1970.

182. In relation to the statistics in Table XLI it is advisable to repeat the warning given in previous Reports. The vast majority of the ages of the deceased are given to the District Registrars by relatives according to the Chinese reckoning, under which, for instance, if a child is born the day before Chinese New Year, it is regarded as being two years old on the following day. These Chinese ages are converted by the District Registrars to ages according to the European reckoning, but obviously errors can easily be made in the process. There is, moreover, no doubt but that a great many people are extremely hazy about their own and their relatives' ages. A further complicating factor is the tendency of relatives to exaggerate the age of the deceased, it being not uncommon in public announcements to add one month to the age for every year of the deceased's true age. The District Registrars, however, use their best endeavours to ascertain the correct age, and the figures given for the various groups are thought to be pretty fair approximations.

Accident and Suicide Deaths

183. Table XLII shows the number of registered deaths in 1970 by accident and suicide classified by cause, sex and age group. This

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