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The number of births in Europe will reach its lowest level since the 1960s in 2022, with just 3.88 million babies born, compared with more than double the number nearly 60 years ago, according to EU statistics agency Eurostat.
Between 1961 and 2022, all countries (EU and EFTA countries Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein) experienced a steady decline in birth rates.
The highest level recorded was 6.8 million in 1964. By 2002, the number of births had declined to 4.36 million, but then increased slightly to 4.68 million in 2008, but there has been an overall downward trend since that year (in 2021 during the pandemic). except for).
Highest birth rate in France
On average, the total fertility rate, which is the average number of children born per woman in her lifetime, was 1.46 children in 2022.
Despite the National Statistics Office’s report, France had the highest rate of 1.79 among the European countries considered (see image below). in January Births in France fell in 2023 to the lowest annual birth rate since World War II, with an average birth rate of 1.68 children per woman.
It was followed by Romania (1.71) and Bulgaria (1.65). The countries with the lowest birth rates in 2022 were Malta (1.08), Spain (1.16) and Italy (1.24).
Other countries fall in between, with Sweden’s birth rate at 1.53, Austria’s at 1.55; Germany 1.46, Switzerland 1.39. By comparison, in 1960 Italy’s birth rate was 2.4, Denmark’s was 2.57, and Austria’s was 2.69 (this value is not available for all countries).
Image: Eurostat.
With a fertility rate of about 2.1 births per woman, developed countries without immigration are thought to maintain a constant population size.
in recent years, EU population The decline after decades of increases is due in large part to hundreds of thousands of deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic. The current European Commission launched a debate on Europe’s aging society in 2021, proposing measures to increase labor market participation, including greater equality between women and men and longer working lives.
In countries such as ItalyThere have been calls for more financial support for people with young children and more measures to address chronic problems that deter or prevent Italians from starting families.
but in francePresident Emmanuel Macron’s plan to restore flagging birth rates has sparked a backlash, with feminists and left-wing politicians accusing him of trying to control women’s bodies.
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have children later in life
Across Europe, many women appear to be choosing to have their first child at a later age than previously, meaning their chances of having other children are reduced.
The average age of women giving birth to their first child in the EU in 2022 will be 29.7 years (2013: 28.8), ranging from 26.6 in Bulgaria and 27 in Romania to 31.7 in Italy and 31.6 in Spain. He is a year old.
Eurostat points out that since 2001, the birth rate for women under 30 has fallen, while the birth rate for women over 30 has increased. In 2001, women aged 25 to 29 had the highest birth rate of any age group. In 2022, she will be 30-34 years old. The birth rate for women over 35 is also increasing.
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foreign-born mothers
Eurostat also recorded that around 22 per cent of children in 2022 were born to foreign-born mothers. Most EU countries are becoming increasingly diverse Compared to 2013.
Luxembourg had the highest percentage at 66%, followed by Cyprus at 41%. In Austria, Belgium and Malta, around a third of children are born to foreign-born mothers. However, Slovakia and Bulgaria had the lowest percentages at 2%.
This article was published with the help of: europe street news.
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