The EU's fertility rate fell to 1.38 live births per woman in 2023, down from 1.46 in 2022, marking the largest decline since 1961. Birth rates have been decreasing since the 1960s, leading to an aging population and labor shortages in several countries. Amidst hard-right political shifts against migration, some EU nations saw stark contrasts in birth rates, with Bulgaria leading at 1.81. Despite more deaths than births, the EU's population grew to 449.2 million due to migration efforts.
The fertility rate across the EU's 27 countries stood at 1.38 live births per woman, down from 1.46 in 2022 and well below the "replacement level" of 2.1.
This is the largest annual decline recorded since 1961, according to Eurostat, revealing a concerning trend for the bloc's population stability.
Despite registering more deaths than births, the EU's total population increased by 1.6 million to 449.2 million people in 2023, driven by migration.
Bulgaria reported the highest fertility rate of 1.81 in the EU in 2023, while Malta had the lowest at 1.06, indicating significant disparities.
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