Vital Events Reference Tables 2002

Section 3: Births

Note: the birth rates and fertility rates given in the tables in this section have been superseded. They were produced using the original mid-year population estimates for 2002 onwards, which have been superseded by 'rebased' population estimates which take account of the results of the 2011 Census. Revised versions of most of these figures (which were produced using the 'rebased' population estimates) can be obtained from:

• revised versions of the Vital Events Reference Tables for 2012
• new Births Time-Series Tables

More information about the rebasing of the mid-year estimates, and the consequential temporary break in some of the Vital Events statistics series (such as birth rates and death rates) is available from the Births and Deaths Rates: breaks in series circa 2011 section of this website.

The presumption in law in relation to the registration of births is that the husband of a married woman is the father of her child unless proven otherwise. When parents are not married to each other the mother is the primary informant of the birth and the father's name can only be entered in the register if (a) they register the birth jointly; (b) a court decree is produced declaring the person to be the father or (c) there is produced to the registrar at the time of registration a statutory declaration signed by one parent together with a declaration signed by the other parent in the registrar's presence. A father's name can be added to the register at any time after the birth using (b) or (c) above.

The term married parents refers to parents who are married to each other and the term unmarried parents refers to parents who are unmarried or married but not to each other.

The general fertility rate (GFR) is the number of births per women of child-bearing age (15-44).

The total fertility rate is the average number of children that would be born to a cohort of women who experienced, throughout their childbearing years, the fertility rates of the calendar year in question.

The age specific fertility rate (ASFR) is the number of births per individual for a specific age during a specified time.

The gross reproduction rate is the average number of live daughters that would be born to a cohort of women who experienced, throughout their childbearing years, the fertility rates of the calendar year in question. And the net reproduction rate is the average number of these live daughters that, subject to the mortality rates of the calendar year in question, would survive to the mothers' age at the time of birth.

A cohort is a well-defined group of people who have had a common experience or exposure who are observed through time. For example, the birth cohort of 1900 refers to people born in that year.

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