Gomel oblast registered upward trend in birth rates
In 2006 some 14,793 babies were born in Gomel oblast, 5% more than in 2005, BelTA learnt in the oblast statistics department.
The increase in birth rates was registered in the Petrikov region (24.6%), Yelsk and Kalinkovichi regions (16.3%), Oktyabrskiy and Narovlya regions (15.8%), Loyev (14.4%), Gomel (9.9%) and Zhlobin regions (9.1%).
In 2006 there were 10 new-born babies per 1,000 residents of Gomel oblast.
The upward trend is expected to be preserved due to the growing number of marriages registered in the oblast. In 2006 there were 11,700 marriages, an increase of 8.9% of 2005.
