The Department of Statistics and Research announces that it has published the Demographic Report for 1996. The Report gives, inter alia, an account of population developments and provides data on a time series basis on fertility, mortality, marriages and divorces.

2. The most salient demographic developments during 1996 can be summarised as follows:

Population

The population in the Government controlled area is estimated at 651.800 at the end of 1996 recording an increase of 1,0% over the previous year. It is estimated that 68,9% of the population resides in urban areas, while in the rural areas lives 31,1% of the total.

Fertility

In 1996 the number of births in the Government controlled area of Cyprus was 9.638 compared to 9.869 in 1995, giving a crude birth rate of 14,9 per thousand population in 1996 compared to 15,4 in 1995. Similarly, the total fertility rate, which gives the mean number of children per woman and is not affected by changes in the age composition of the population, decreased to 2,08 in 1996 from 2,13 in 1995.

Fertility indicators in Cyprus are higher than in European and other developed countries. The total fertility rate decreased in 1996 to a level merely below the replacement level of 2,10.

Mortality

Mortality has reached low levels. In 1996 the crude death rate was estimated at 7,7 deaths per thousand population and the infant mortality at 8,3 infant deaths per thousand live births. Life tables for the period 1994-1995 put the expectation of life at birth at 75,3 years for males and 79,8 for females. The main causes of death as reported in 1996 were diseases of the circulatory system, neoplasms, diseases of the respiratory system and the group of accidents, injuries and poisoning, the same as in the last few years.

The expectation of life at birth in Cyprus compares favourably with that of more developed countries though infant mortality is somewhat higher.

Marriages

In Cyprus, there still persists a prejudice against marrying in leap years, which results in a minimum of marriages in leap years and peaks in the years preceeding and succeeding the leap year. In 1996, which was a leap year, the number of marriages decreased to 5.761 and the crude marriage rate was calculated at 8,9 per thousand population.

There has been a continuous rising trend in the age at first marriage. Mean age of men at first marriage increased from 25,7 in the period 1974-1977 to 27,7 in the period 1993-1996 and for females from 22,9 to 25,1 respectively.

Divorces

There has also been a rising trend in the number of divorces in recent years which seems to have stopped in 1996. In 1996 the number of divorces was 725 and the crude divorce rate was estimated at 1,1 per 1.000 population compared to 757 divorces in 1995 and a rate of 1,2 per 1.000 population. The total divorce rate which shows the proportion of marriages that are expected to end up in divorce was in 1996 144 per 1.000 marriages, while in 1980 it was only 42. This means that presently about 14% of marriages end in divorce. This rate continues to be extremely low compared to other European countries where one marriage in two ends up in divorce.

Migration

Though there are no accurate figures, since 1989 there are indications of a migration flow to Cyprus of Cypriot returning emigrants as well as foreign workers coming to Cyprus for temporary employment. It is estimated that the net migration balance for 1996 was 1.800 persons.

3. The Report is available from the Government Printing Office in Nicosia at the price of í6,00.