A baby boom? After a year of not being able to go outside? How intriguing!
Large parts of rural Gronignen and in the Province of Friesland have seen a baby boom, showing that having a screaming child whilst locked in your home is an increasingly popular option for people in the North. In contrast to many other municipalities and provinces, the municipality of Groningen saw births fall in the same period, reports the GIC. We are now nine months after the first lockdown period, with a decrease in births of -3% in the municipality of Groningen compared to a year earlier.
In Veendam, Eemsdelta and Westerkwartier, on the other hand, large numbers of babies have been born, along with most of the Province of Friesland.
The national average for babies born is up by 0.2%. A crisis usually causes a (temporary) dip in the number of births and there is only an increase after the crisis has ended. The Coronavirus crisis is an exception, possibly because the lockdown caused couples to spend more time together at home.
The number of births increased in four of the ten Groningen municipalities. Especially in Veendam (+ 34.6%), Eemsdelta (+ 23.5%) and Westerkwartier (+ 10.1%), many more children were born than a year earlier.
The number of births fell the most in Central Groningen, with 28.6% fewer births registered. The number of births also decreased in the municipality of Groningen (-4.3%).
People in Friesland multiplying
Although the number of births decreased in Groningen, there was an increase in births in other provinces. The “baby boom” is strongest in Friesland. There were 7.8% more children born there last December and January than one year previously. There was also a baby boom in Zeeland (+ 7.3%).
Image via Kristina Paukshtite via Pexels
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