The number of births in Tunisia decreased by 23% between 2017/2021, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INS). The number of births in 2021 reached over 160,000 births, compared to more than 209,000 in 2017, the same source said. The two governorates of Sfax and Tunis recorded the highest number of births during the same period with over 13,000 births each in 2021. According to the INS, «this decline seriously affects the age pyramid in Tunisia and reveals an aging of the population, particularly after the end of the demographic transition phase in 2010.» On the other hand, the number of marriage contracts in Tunisia increased by 9% in 2021 compared to 2020, bringing the number of marriages to over 71,000 in 2021 compared to 65,000 in 2020. Despite this positive increase, the general trend is going down as the number of marriages decreased by almost 25% between 2017 and 2021, going from 95,000 in 2017 to 71,000 marriages in 2021. The same statistics show a significant increase in the numb er of deaths in 2021, to more than 107,000 deaths compared to nearly 80,000 deaths in 2020. The increase in the number of deaths is caused by the COVID-19, which has claimed the lives of almost 29,500 Tunisians since the outbreak of the pandemic according to statistics from the Health Ministry. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse