Costa Rican women are giving bringing a lesser number of babies into the world. This is a steady trend present at all age groups, including that of adolescents, who had carried the brunt of fertility in the last few decades. According to the National Statistics and Census Bureau, 72,247 children were born in 2004, 691 less than in 2003 and almost 11,000 less than in 1986. January through June this year, there were 445 less births than in the same period in 2004. Also, according to the Central American Population Center, the average age for maternity -the age at which 50 percent of women are mothers- went from 21 in 1990 to 23 in 2004. As a reference, the average in Europe now is 29 years.
#
posted by la nacion costa rica : 12:38 PM
