View report page

SECTION A
VITAL STATISTICS
During 1953 there were 548 more births than deaths registered but on account
of persons being rehoused outside the borough and other reasons the population
at the middle of the year was estimated at 72,470 which was 200 less than during
1952.
The birth rate in 1953 was 18.0 per 1000 of the population, an increase of
7% over the figure for the previous year. The Registrar General provides Area
Comparability factors which take account of the age and sex distribution of the
population so that comparisons may be made with other districts or with the county
as a whole and factors are supplied both for births and for deaths.
Using the comparability factor the adjusted birth rate would be 16.2 as
compared with 17.5 for the Administrative County of London and 15.5 for England
and Wales.
The death rate was 10.5 as compared with 12.0 in 1952. Again using the
comparability factor the adjusted rate would be 12 as compared with 12.5 for
London and 11.4 for England and Wales.
The infant mortality rate rose from 23.8 in 1952 to 34.4 in 1953. This is
an adverse trend which could indicate a lower degree of child care during the
year but as it is calculated on a total of only 45 deaths of infants under one
-10-