The babies are big, the mothers are young: Facts about birth on P.E.I.

Statistics Canada released the latest numbers on births in Canada on Thursday.

This latest release is for 2014.

The numbers for P.E.I. move around a fair bit from year to year, so I've used 10-year averages (2005-14) for this look at how Island mothers and babies stack up to the rest of Canada.

Island mothers are young

At 28.7 years, the mean age of women giving birth on P.E.I. is about 10 months younger than the national average.

That is not, however, because of a high rate of teenage pregnancy.

At 14.31 per 1,000, the rate is above the national average of 12.91, but it is also the lowest in the Atlantic region.

Nor does Atlantic Canada as a region have the highest rates of teen pregnancy in the country. Rates are higher in the Prairies, with Saskatchewan and Manitoba having the highest rates among the provinces.

The highest rate in the country is in Nunavut.

The babies are big

Only in Northwest Territories are newborns bigger than they are on P.E.I.

The median weight for newborns on P.E.I. is 7 lbs 10.31 oz. N.W.T. tip the scales a full two ounces bigger.

The national average is 7 lbs 7.29 oz. The smallest babies are in Alberta, at 7 lbs 6.45 oz.

The good old summer time

By planning or by chance, Island mothers give birth most often in the warmer months.

July had the most birthdays from 2005-14, with an average 124.9 per month. That was closely followed by June, with 123.5 births.

Winter was considerably less popular, with just 107.8 births in February, and 108.7 in January.

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