The number of births in Quebec returned, in 2021, to the level observed before the pandemic, according to the Institute of Statistics (ISQ).
The total number of births in the province is estimated at 84,900 in 2021, an increase of almost 4% compared to 2020, when there were approximately 81,850 births. In 2019, the number stood at 84,309.
The ISQ notes that “the start of the COVID-19 pandemic would have led to a decrease in conceptions, as indicated by a low in births nine months later, i.e. in the last months of 2020 and the beginning of 2021”. A catch-up in births was however observed as early as March 2021, i.e. nine months after the end of the first wave.
The synthetic fertility index stands at 1.58 children per woman in 2021. After falling to 1.52 in 2020, it returns to a level similar to that of the years 2018 and 2019, notes the ISQ, which points out that the index has shown a general downward trend since 2009.
Fertility rose among women aged 25 to 44 in 2021, while it declined among younger women to record lows.
The ISQ also indicates that fertility increased in almost all regions of Quebec in 2021. Montreal is the only region where the drop in fertility recorded in 2020 was not followed by an increase in 2021.
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