MEDIA RELEASE
February 13, 2007	Embargoed 11.30am (AEDT)	18/2007

Canberrans are living longer but continue to have less babies than the national average, according to data recently released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

ACT residents have a higher life expectancy than residents of the other states and territories. A boy born in the ACT during 2005 could expect to live 79.9 years, while a girl could expect to live 84.0 years. This compares with 78.5 and 83.3 years respectively, at the national level.

The total fertility rate (TFR) in the ACT in 2005 was the highest it has been since 1995, at 1.65 births per woman. Nationally, the TFR reached 1.81 births per woman in 2005.

Some other key findings:

• The number of births registered to ACT residents in 2005 was 4,200.
• The standardised death rate for the ACT fell from 6.5 deaths per 1,000 people to 5.6 in the decade to 2005.
• The two main underlying causes of death for ACT residents in 2004 were: diseases of the circulatory system (e.g. heart attack or stroke) 33% and neoplasms (e.g. lung cancer or melanoma) 30%.

Full details can be found in the February 2007 issue of ACT Stats (cat. no. 1344.8.55.001).