A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Indicator 8. Births to Unmarried Women, International Comparisons

Births to unmarried women as a percentage of all live births, selected countries: 1960 to 1988

_______________________________________________________________________________________                    |        |        |        |        |        |Percent change in live                    |        |        |        |        |        | births, 1960 to 1988                    |        |        |        |        |        |______________________        Country     |  1960  |  1970  |  1980  |  1986  |  1988  |    To    |    To                    |        |        |        |        |        |   all    | unmarried                    |        |        |        |        |        |  women   |   women ___________________|________|________|________|________|________|__________|___________  United States .....     5.3     10.7     18.4     23.4     25.7         -8         349 Belgium ...........     2.1      2.8      4.1      ---      ---        -23         --- Canada ............     4.3      9.6     11.3     16.9      ---        ---         --- Denmark ...........     7.8     11.0     33.2     43.9     44.7        -23         342 France ............     6.1      6.8     11.4     21.9     26.3         -6         308 Germany, former West    6.3      5.5      7.6      9.6     10.0        -30          11 Greece ............     1.2      1.1      1.5      ---      2.1        -32          14 Ireland ...........     1.6      2.7      5.0      ---     11.7        -11         555 Italy .............     2.4      2.2      4.3      5.6      5.8        -38          50 Japan .............     1.2      0.9      0.8      1.0      ---        ---         --- Luxembourg ........     3.2      4.0      6.0      ---     12.1         -8         250 Netherlands .......     1.3      2.1      4.1      8.8     10.2        -22         488 Portugal ..........     9.5      7.3      9.2      ---     13.7        -43         -17 Spain .............     2.3      1.4      3.9      ---      ---        -37         --- Sweden ............    11.3     18.4     39.7     48.4      ---        ---         --- United Kingdom ....     5.2      8.0     11.5     21.0     25.1        -14         313 _______________________________________________________________________________________ 

SOURCE: Statistical Office of the European Communities, Demographic Statistics, 1988 and 1990; and various national sources. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Center for Health Statistics, Monthly Vital Statistics Report, 1990.