Disclaimer: There is no clear scientific evidence that storks actually bring babies.
While storks may not actually be the ones delivering babies, it is true that the number of babies born in Kelowna decreased again in 2023.
According to the B.C. Ministry of Health Vital Statistics Agency birth reports, there were 54 fewer babies born in Kelowna in 2023 compared to 2022.
In total, 1,100 new Kelowna residents were born in 2023, while 1,154 tiny screaming Kelownians entered the world in 2022.
The regions that make up the metrics of Kelowna’s health service areas are Glenmore, Downtown Kelowna, Rutland, Okanagan Mission and Central Okanagan Rural East.
Kelowna’s community of Rutland welcomed the most new babies in 2023.
West Kelowna and Lake Country also saw a decrease, with a respective 36 and 31 fewer mini-residents in 2023 compared to 2022.
The decrease in the Central Okanagan follows the provincial trend of lower birth rates over the past few years.
Across the province, birth rates declined in 2023 with 39,750 new babies, compared to 41,926 in 2022.
The stats are based on the residential address postal code of the mother, per month and stillbirths were excluded.
For more information visit Births at gov.bc.ca.
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