24-6  Main Indicators of Population
Item	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
Mid-year Population(10 000 persons)	674.4	673.1	678.3	681.3	685.7
Crude Birth Rate                          (‰)	7.1	7.0	7.3	8.4	9.6
Crude Death Rate                         (‰)	5.1	5.5	5.4	5.7	5.4@
Infant Mortality Rate                    (‰)	2.3	2.3	2.7	2.3	1.8@
Rate of Natural Increase               (‰)	2.1	1.5	1.9	2.7	4.2@
Total Fertility Rate①	941	901	922	959	984
Registered Marriages             (couple)	32070	35439	41376	43018	50328
Divorce Decrees                    (couple)	12943	13829	15604	14873	17424
Expectation of Life at Birth     (years)
Male	78.5	78.5	79.0	78.8	79.5@
Female	84.5	84.4	84.8	84.6	85.6@
Notes : The Population By-census conducted by the Census and Statistics Department in July to August 2006 provides a benchmark for revising the
population figures compiled since the 2001 Population Census.  In the above table, population-related figures from 2002 to 2005 have been
revised accordingly.
①Total fertility rate of each individual year has been compiled using a population denominator which has excluded female foreign domestic
helpers.