The most popular names for babies born in British Columbia in 2011 were Liam and Emma, according to the annual report from the British Columbia Vital Statistics Agency.

The most widely selected names for boys were Liam, Ethan, Mason, Lucas and Benjamin. The top five names for girls were Emma, Olivia, Sophia, Ava and Chloe. In 2011, there were a total of 43,991 births in B.C., up from 43,670 in 2010.

"I am proud to call British Columbia home and so are more and more people," said Health Minister Margaret MacDiarmid. "The number of births in British Columbia is growing and British Columbians also enjoy the longest life expectancy in Canada, with life expectancy of 82 years old."

Life expectancy in British Columbia is the highest in Canada at 82 years for 2007-11, up from 81.7 for 2006-10. The provincial population also grew naturally by 12,215 in 2011, or at rate of 2.7 per thousand, not counting migration.

The report also states the total number of deaths in B.C. in 2011 was 31,776, up from 31,151 in 2010. The leading cause of death was cancer. The oldest person to die in British Columbia in 2011 lived to be 112.

The number of HIV deaths continues to fall in B.C. In 2011, there were 59 HIV deaths, down from 253 in 1996.

The 140th edition of the British Columbia Vital Statistics Agency Annual Report contains information collected from registrations of births, deaths and marriages that happened in 2011. Information from the report is used for various aspects of health planning, research and education.

The report can be found at: www.vs.gov.bc.ca/stats/annual/

For a clip of the minister, please visit: http://sendtonews.com?SK=jKsg3bTdyk

Media Contact:

Ryan Jabs
Media Relations Manager
Ministry of Health
250 413-7121

On a typical day in British Columbia in 2011:

Births:

• There were 121 births.

• 62 males and 59 females were born.

• Three babies were born to teenage mothers.

• 28 babies were born to mothers aged 35 years old or more.

Marriages:

• There were 60 marriages.

• One marriage every 10 days was a teen couple.

Deaths:

• 87 deaths occurred.

• 45 males and 42 females died.

• 25 deaths were due to cancer.

• Three deaths were from pneumonia and influenza.

Media Contact:

Ryan Jabs
Media Relations Manager
Ministry of Health
250 413-7121