More births registered in first quarter

The number of single mothers in the first quarter of this year accounted for 18 per cent, or 166, of all deliveries, up by five per cent from the first quarter last year, according to the National Obstetrics Report issued yesterday.

Eighty per cent (741) of deliveries occurred to mothers who were married once (married, widowed, separated), compared with 85 per cent in the same period last year. The remaining two per cent (18) deliveries had no marital status specified.

The rate of deliveries dropped by two per cent in the 15 to 19 years age group and by four per cent in the 25 to 29 age group, this quarter. On the other hand the rate of deliveries increased by four per cent in the age group 20 to 24 years and by two per cent in the 35 to 39 year age group, this quarter.

In the first quarter of this year, the greatest number of deliveries (36 per cent), occurred in the age group 25 to 29 years while the lowest number of deliveries (<1 per cent) occurred in the age group less than 15 years while there were no deliveries in the over 45 group. The minimum age of the mothers was 14 years while the maximum age was 44 years. The most frequent age at delivery was 26 years.

There was a total of 925 deliveries registered in the Maltese islands in the first quarter of this year, which resulted in a total of 948 births, an increase of 15 and 24 respectively over the first quarter of 2002.