Both births and deaths in Alaska declined in 2023 and the overall population remained stable, the state says

Fewer babies were born in Alaska in 2023 than in previous years, but there were also fewer deaths in the state than in previous years when the COVID-19 pandemic was still raging in the country, a state Department of Health report said.

According to the Alaska Vital Statistics 2023 Annual Report, Alaska's total population remained nearly unchanged in 2023 at 736,812, an increase of 304 from 2022. The report shows that the state's population has gradually increased in recent years despite more than a decade of net out-migration.

The report was released on Monday by the ministry's Health Analytics and Vital Records Division.

Both total birth rates and birth rates are steadily declining in Alaska, the report shows. In 2019, 9,832 babies were born in Alaska, and the fertility rate, which measures the number of births per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44, was 67.7. Since then, these numbers have declined every year. In 2023, 9,022 babies were born and the fertility rate was 61.9, the report showed.

The most popular name for newborn Alaskan boys was Oliver, closely followed by Liam. For girls born in Alaska in 2023, Charlotte was the most popular name, followed by Aurora, Emma and Hazel, which tied for second place.

Alaska's population tends to be young compared to the national population, but older residents are gradually making up a larger share, statistics show. Children under 15 make up 20% of Alaska's population, while people ages 65 and older now make up 15%, down from under 12% in 2019.

The state's population also continues to be more male than female, with men making up 52%, according to the 2023 report. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, this is the highest proportion of men of any U.S. state.

The number of deaths and the death rate in 2023 will be below the level of the previous two years, but higher than in 2019, according to the annual report.

During the year, 5,533 Alaska residents died, and the age-adjusted death rate was 767.4 per 100,000 residents, the report said. That's well below the 6,223 deaths and age-adjusted death rate of 904.9 in 2021, the year with the highest burden of COVID-19. However, according to the report, death statistics are higher than those of the pre-pandemic year of 2019, which saw 4,631 deaths and an age-adjusted death rate of 715.3.

Cancer, heart disease and accidents were the top three causes of death in 2023 and accounted for nearly half of deaths among Alaskans last year, the report showed. These were the three most common causes of death in previous years, with the exception of 2021.

COVID-19 fell out of the top 10 list in 2023 after being the third leading cause of death in 2021 and the fourth leading cause of death in 2020 and 2022. However, the disease had not disappeared from Alaska in 2023. According to the report, COVID-19 was the cause of 56 deaths during the year.