Birth-rate in Catalonia drops for the first time in 10 years

Barcelona (CNA).- The birth-rate in Catalonia has gone down by 5 % in 2009, marking the first decline in the last 10 years. According to data published by the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE), last year there were 84,914 births in Catalonia, an amount 4,300 less than 2008’s number of 89,249. This has put the birth-rate at 11.65 for every 1,000 inhabitants, a rate greater than that of the Spanish average of 10.73. In spite of this descent, Catalonia has had a vegetative growth (number of births minus number of deaths) of 24,842 people, only behind the Autonomous Community of Madrid and Andalusia.
The rate of mortality stands at 8.24 deaths for every 1,000 inhabitants and a total of 60,072 deaths. On another side, there have been 27,654 new marriages at a rate of 3.79 for every 1,000 inhabitants, a number inferior to 2008’s figures. Both rates are slightly under the Spanish average.