In 2018, almost 1,500 fewer children were born than in 2017, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics. In a response to IPN, the NBS reveals that last year 32,606 were born, a 4.3% drop from the previous year.
The birth rate was 9.2 live births per one thousand population. Of the live births, 51.7% were boys. In other words, for every 100 girls, there were 107 boys.
According to the NBS, last year the number of children born out of wedlock was 6,911, or 21.2% of the total live births. The number of premature babies was 1,767. At the same time, the number of children born to mothers under the age of 20 was on the decrease, accounting for 6.7% of the total live births.
Mothers in urban areas gave birth at an older age compared to rural ones. Most babies in urban areas were born to aged 25-34 years, and in rural areas to mothers aged 20-29 years. The average age of first-time mothers was 25 years.
According to NBS, the number of children in the Moldova as of 1 January 2019 was 669,600.