Canada's fertility rate increased further to 1.66 in 2007 from 1.59 of the previous year, the highest since 1992, Statistics Canada reported Tuesday.

In 2007, a total of 367,864 babies were born, the highest since1995.

Compared with 2006, that number increased by 13,247, or 3.7 percent, the fastest annual increase since 1989.

Women aged 30 to 34 gave birth to 115,415, or a little less than half of the total babies born in 2007, more than any other age group and the second consecutive year they led all age groups.

All women 30 and over accounted for 56 percent of all births.

However, the report pointed out that Canada's fertility rate of1.66 is still below the replacement level fertility rate of 2.1 children per woman, or the level of fertility the population needs to replace itself from one generation to the next.

Statistics Canada said that besides Canada, other countries with low fertility rates like the United States, Australia, Spain and Sweden have also experienced an increase in their fertility rates in the year 2007.

Source: Xinhua