Record drop in children being born in EU
- 08 Mar 2025
Photo used for illustrative purpose.
In 2023, 3.67 million babies were born in the EU, a 5.4% decrease from the 3.88 million in 2022. This is the largest annual decline recorded since 1961.
Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, reported that the total fertility rate in 2023 was 1.38 live births per woman in the EU, down from 1.46 in 2022.
In 2023, Bulgaria had the highest total fertility rate in the EU (1.81 live births per woman), followed by France (1.66) and Hungary (1.55).
By contrast, the lowest fertility rates were seen in Malta (1.06 births per woman), Spain (1.12) and Lithuania (1.18).
WAM