Birth statistics 1993.

The key birth statistics for 1993, in Table E of the Annual Review on page 7 of this volume, show that: The total number of live births fell for the third consecutive year and was 673 thousand in 1993, 2 per cent fewer than in 1992, and the lowest annual total since 1986. The number of women in reproductive ages changed only marginally, so that the crude birth rate (CBR), the general fertility rate (GFR) and total period fertility rate (TPFR) each decreased. The TPFR was 1.76 in 1993, 2 per cent lower than in 1992. The mean age of women at childbirth continued to rise, and reached 28.1 years. The proportion of births outside marriage increased by a further 1 per cent between 1992 and 1993, to reach 32.2 per cent. There were 105.6 male births for every 100 female births--a higher ratio than in 1992.