The number of children born in the Republic of Moldova last year was by about 3,000 lower than the previous year. More than half of the newborns were boys – 12,200. The girls totaled 11,800. The ratio was 104 boys to 100 girls, IPN reports.

The National Bureau of Statistics said that the birth rate in 2023 decreased to 9.8 live births per 1,000 inhabitants, compared to 10.7 live births per 1,000 inhabitants in 2022.

The average age of the mother at first birth was 25.3 years, the same as the previous year. The total fertility rate decreased compared to the previous year to 1.61 live births per woman. Although the total fertility rate in the Republic of Moldova is relatively high, it does not reach the replacement level fertility of 2.1 live births per woman of reproductive age.

Data on mortality show that the number of deaths last year was 33,700, decreasing by 2,500 or 6.8% compared to 2022. Male excess mortality in 2023 was 116 male deaths per 100 female deaths

“The diseases of the circulatory system and tumors continued to prevail among the causes of death, both for women and men. In 2023, the deaths caused by these two types of diseases was 75.5% of all the deaths - 70.3% in the case of men and 81.5% in the case of women,” the Bureau said.

Female mortality, distributed by causes of death, differs from male mortality by structure, the diseases of the circulatory system accounting for the largest share in this. The number of men who died as a result of accidents, poisonings and trauma was 3.8 times higher compared to that in the case of women who died from the same cause.

The natural increase remained negative - minus 9,700 people in 2023 compared to minus 9,200 people in 2022.