Record decline in birth rate hits EU in 2023. Italy’s fertility rate among the lowest

Brussels – The nickname “old continent” has never been more appropriate for Europe, which doesn’t seem to show any sign of recovery from the demographic crisis of recent years. The European birth rate is reaching new lows every year. While in 2022 for the first time births in the EU fell below the threshold of four million (3.88 million), 2023 ended with a 5.4 per cent drop in births compared to the previous year, thus recording a record low of only 3.67 million babies.

This is the picture that emerges from the Eurostat 2023 report. The total fertility rate in the 27 member countries was 1.38 births per woman. The 2023 figure is the lowest recorded in the EU since 2004.

Looking at the rankings for different countries, Bulgaria surpasses France with the highest fertility rate in the EU—1.81 births per woman. France drops to second place (1.66, a major drop from 1.79 in 2022) followed by Hungary (1.55). In contrast, the Mediterranean reconfirms itself as the tail-end of European fertility with Malta (1.06 children per woman) and Spain (1.12) again in last place and steadily declining. In Italy, the decline does not stop, reaching 1.21 births per mother, which is the lowest fertility rate in our country since 1996. The average age in the EU at which women give birth to their first child is also rising: 29.8 years. Looking at data from individual member states, Italy still leads the ranking of most advanced motherhood: for Italian women, the first child comes at an average age of 31.8. Bulgaria, on the other hand, in addition to being the fertility champion also has the youngest mothers in the EU, with an average age at first maternity of 26.9 years.