In 2023, about 3.67 million children were born in the European Union, which is almost half as many as six decades ago. The inaccurate birth rate, the number of live births per 1,000 people, stood at 8.2 in 2023. For comparison, this rate was 10.5 in 2000, 12.8 in 1985, and 16.4 in 1970.

The peak number of live births in the EU occurred in 1964, with 6.8 million newborns recorded. From that point up to the early 2000s, there was a steady decline, hitting a low of 4.36 million births in 2002. Following this, the number of births saw a slight increase, reaching 4.68 million in 2008, before starting another general decline—though there were modest rises in both 2014 and 2016.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, births in the EU dropped to 4.07 million in 2020, saw a slight uptick to 4.09 million in 2021, but then fell again to 3.88 million in 2022. In 2023, the number decreased further, down to 3.67 million.

1.38 live births per woman in the EU in 2023

In recent years, Europeans have been having fewer children, which has contributed to slower population growth in the EU (see Population and population change statistics). The most widely used indicator of fertility is the total fertility rate:  which represents the average number of children a woman would have over her lifetime if she experienced the age-specific fertility rates of a particular year. In developed countries, the replacement level is about 2.1 live births per woman—this means the number needed to maintain a constant population without accounting for migration. When the total fertility rate drops below 1.3, it’s often called ‘lowest-low fertility.’ This indicator allows comparisons between countries because it considers changes in population size and structure.

As of 2023, the EU’s total fertility rate was 1.38 live births per woman. They rose from a low of 1.43 in 2001 and 2002 to a relative peak of 1.57 in 2008 and 2010. Afterward, there was a slight decline to 1.51 in 2013, followed by some modest rebounds until 2017, when the rate began to fall again. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the EU fertility rate dropped to 1.51 (in 2020), increased slightly to 1.53 (in 2021), but started decreasing again from 1.46 in 2022 to a new low of 1.38 in 2023.

Women in the EU are becoming mothers later in life

Further figures indicate a continued increase in the mean age of women at childbirth in the European Union, rising from an average of 29.0 years in 2001 to 31.2 years in 2023. A similar upward trend is noted for the mean age of women at the birth of their first child, which increased from 28.8 years in 2013—the earliest year with available EU data—to 29.8 years in 2023.

Recent data indicate that women in the European Union tend to have fewer children at younger ages and more children later in life- Fertility rates among women under 30 have declined since 2003, while those for women aged 30 and above have increased. In 2003, women aged 25–29 exhibited the highest fertility rate across all age groups; by 2023, this distinction shifted to women aged 30–34. Additionally, fertility rates for women aged 35 and older continue to rise.

Total fertility rate and age of women at birth of first child

Further figures display the total fertility rate versus the mean age at first birth for women in 2023. Countries are grouped into four categories relative to EU averages: (1) Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, Liechtenstein, and Norway had both rates above average; (2) Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland were below average on both measures; (3) Greece, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, Austria, Finland, and Switzerland had an above-average age but below-average fertility rate; (4) Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, France, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, and Iceland had higher fertility rates but a lower mean age at first birth than the EU average.

In 2023, women in the EU who gave birth to their first child were on average aged 29.8 years

According to Map 1, the average age of women giving birth to their first child in the European Union in 2023 was 29.8 years. The lowest mean ages were recorded in Bulgaria (26.9 years) and Romania (27.1 years), while the highest were observed in Italy (31.8 years) and Ireland (31.6 years).

Almost half of children born in the EU in 2023 were born to first-time mothers

In 2023, 46.4% of children born in the EU were first-borns, with Luxembourg, Portugal, Malta, and Spain all reporting over 50%. The lowest rates of first-borns were in Latvia (39.2%), Estonia (39.7%), and Ireland (41.2%). Second-borns made up 35%, third-borns 12.3%, and 6.2% were fourth or later births. Finland (9.7%), Slovakia (9.0%), and Romania (8.6%) had the highest proportion of fourth or subsequent children.

In 2023, the share of children born to foreign-born mothers stood at 23%

Further data focuses on mothers who were born outside of the reporting country, either in another EU country or elsewhere. In Luxembourg, 67% of children born in 2023 had foreign-born mothers—the highest percentage among EU countries. Cyprus followed with 41%. In Malta (36%), Austria (35%), Belgium (34%), and Germany (32%), about one-third of all births were to foreign-born mothers, while two-thirds were to native-born mothers. By contrast, Bulgaria and Slovakia saw 97% of live births in 2023 from native-born mothers.

Looking at trends since 2013, the first year with comprehensive data—most EU countries have experienced an increase in births to foreign-born mothers. Malta recorded the largest jump, rising by 25 percentage points from 11% in 2013 to 36% in 2023. Portugal saw an increase of 13 percentage points (from 16% to 29%), while Spain, Slovenia, Cyprus, and Czechia each had increases of around 8 percentage points.

Full statistics and article can be found at official European Commission Page.