In 2022, the number of births fell for the fourth consecutive year in Brazil, reaching the lowest level since 1977 – the historical series began in 1974. This is what data from Civil Registry Statistics, released by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) reveal ( IBGE), this Wednesday (27).
In the year analyzed, the country registered 2.54 million births, 3.5% less than 2021, when the number was 2.63 million. All regions saw a decrease in birth registrations in 2022. But the drop was more pronounced in the Northeast (-6.7%) and North (-3.8%). Next on the list are the Southeast (-2.6%), Central-West (-1.6%) and South (-0.7%).
Among Brazilian states, Paraíba showed the biggest drop (-9.9%), followed by Maranhão (-8.5%), Sergipe (-7.8%) and Rio Grande do Norte (-7.3%). %). The only states that showed an increase in the number of births were Santa Catarina (2.0%) and Mato Grosso (1.8%).
In relation to the months with the most registrations, March stands out with 233.17 thousand births. May appears in second place, with 230.79 thousand. October is the month with the lowest number of births, 189 thousand.
Women are having children later and later
According to IBGE, the data confirms the tendency for women to have children at an increasingly older age, although the highest birth rate is still concentrated among mothers aged 20 to 29 (49%). However, in 2010, this percentage was 53.1%.
The number of women becoming mothers before the age of 20 has also declined over the past 12 years. In 2010, the percentage was 18.5%, went to 13.2% in 2021 and fell to 12.1% in 2022.
