COVID-19 and War Have Not Negatively Affected Birth Rates in Armenia, Says David Khachatryan

COVID-19 and the war have not yet negatively impacted birth rates in Armenia. At least, official data indicate that there has been no decline in births during the first half of 2020 and 2021, said David Khachatryan, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs of Armenia, in an interview with Sputnik Armenia.

“In the first half of 2021, we saw a significant increase in births compared to 2020, by about 9 percent, which is a unique phenomenon compared to previous years,” he stated.

The data for 2021 have yet to be fully analyzed. According to available information, births have been higher than in 2020; during the first five months of 2021, the number of births increased by 1,519 compared to the same period in 2020. In January-May 2020, 12,799 babies were born, compared to 14,318 in January-May 2021.

Demographers hope that this loss will not have a serious impact on the number of births in the coming years. One argument is that over the last 20-30 years, the number of boys born in Armenia has consistently exceeded the number of girls. Strangely enough, experts do not rule out that the war could even serve as a catalyst for an increase in births.

Deputy Minister David Khachatryan recalled that around the world, about 5-10 years after the end of World War II, a baby boom began. The figures recorded in the 1950s and 1960s in the 20th century remain unattainable to this day. Such a phenomenon also occurred in Armenia, not only in the 1950s and 1960s but also during the most difficult years following the earthquake, the Nagorno-Karabakh war, the pogroms, and the displacement of Armenians from Azerbaijan.

In 1990, the country recorded the highest birth rate, with 79,882 babies born that year.