Interpretation: 

The graph and table above show the number of infants born in Ontario per month in 2020 and 2021. The combined monthly average of the previous two years (2018 and 2019) is also included.

• August 2020 marked the beginning of a clear decrease in the number of births per month (black dotted line).
• In January 2021 - approximately 9 months after the WHO declared the start of the pandemic – we saw 1,000 fewer births than in previous years in January.
• In February 2021 (orange dashed line), birth numbers started to recover and became more comparable with previous years.
• From June to December 2021, monthly births were more consistent with the 2018/2019 average (blue solid line).
• Overall, 2020 had almost 4000 fewer births than the average of the previous 2 years, but in 2021 there were nearly 3000 more infants born than in 2020.

Together, these trends suggest a ‘temporary decline’ in Ontario births causing a shift in birth numbers from earlier in the pandemic to later in 2021.  (Note: this trend is for the province as a whole and does not reflect variations seen at the local or regional levels).