The number of inhabitants of Algeria rose to 44.6 million on January 1, 2021 against 44.3 million on July 1, 2020, APS learned from the National Statistics Office (ONS).
The year 2020 recorded 992,000 live births, 236,000 deaths and 283,000 marriages, the ONS statistics show.
The office points out that 2020 was marked by a decline in live births below the threshold of one million births for the first time since 2014, a “significant” increase in deaths, and by the continued decline in marriages for six years.
The natural increase recorded during the year reached 756,000 people, a rate of 1.71%. The latter continues its downward trend initiated since 2017, “with a more pronounced pace in 2020,” adds the ONS explaining this decline by the “significant” increase in deaths, which is associated with the decline in births.
At this rate of growth in 2020, the total resident population would reach 45.4 million by January 1, 2022, according to the Office’s forecast.
The distribution by sex of the inhabitants of Algeria on January 1, 2021, shows a slight predominance of the male population, which represents 50.7% of the total population.
According to the office, the decline in live births below the threshold of one million births for the first time since 2014, affected the crude birth rate, which fell from 23.80 per thousand in 2019 to 22.42 per thousand in 2020.
Continued decline in marriages
This downward trend has also characterized the fertility level, as its current indicator has fallen from 3.0 children per woman to 2.9 children per woman during the same comparison period.
Started since 2014, the decline in the number of marriages also continues in 2020 but with a more “accelerated” pace, according to the office. Thus, civil registry offices recorded 283,000 unions in 2020 compared with 315,000 unions in 2019, a decline of more than 10%.
The gross marriage rate continues its decline, from 7.26 per thousand to 6.41 per thousand, the same level observed in the early 2000s, notes the statistics agency.
Indeed, “the evolution of the population aged 20 to 34 years (population or contracts 80% of marriages), shows a regression of the volume of it of a quite visible pace from 2015, which the population has gone from 10.997 million to 10.427 million between 2015 and 2020, “says the agency
As for general mortality, the office notes that the year 2020 recorded 236,000 deaths against 198,000 deaths in 2019, an increase of 38,000 deaths. The crude mortality rate has thus increased from 4.55 per thousand to 5.33 per thousand.
On the other hand, the ONS indicates that the volume of infant mortality had declined to 18,700 deaths in 2020 against 21,030 cases in 2019, a decline of 2,330 deaths. The infant mortality rate reached 18.9 per thousand.
By sex, it is 21.0 per thousand for boys and 16.6 per thousand for girls.
As in countries around the world affected by the pandemic, the increase in the level of deaths has negatively impacted life expectancy at birth, which has declined by 1.6 years, reaching 76.3 years, the same level as in 2009.
By sex, life expectancy at birth seems to affect more men, since it is 74.5 years, while in women is 78.1 years, says the office.
22/01/2022 Elmoudjahid
