The birth rate crisis in Europe

The number of live births in the European Union (EU) in 2022 reached the lowest level since 1960, according to EU data released in early 2024. Only 3.88 million babies will be born in this region in 2022. This is also the first time the number has dropped below 4 million.

The birth rate (the number of children born per woman) has also dropped, close to the level of two decades ago. The EU currently has one of the lowest birth rates in the world, 1.5 children per woman, while the ideal number is 2.1.

Italy has long had the lowest birth rate. Population aging is occurring more rapidly than in other member states. On average, the number of children born per woman has decreased from 1.24 in 2022 to 1.2 in 2023. Experts say that if the population crisis continues, Italy’s population of 59 million people could decline nearly one million people by 2030.

According to Sabrina Prati, Director General of the Italian National Institute of Statistics (INIS), the crisis has lasted for many years: “From 2008 until now, the country has lost about 200,000 newborns. Two-thirds of them are due to couples – potential parents – refusing to have children”.

In Virtuethe birth rate decreased from 1.57 children per woman in 2021 to about 1.36 in the fall of 2023. The Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB) assessed that the sharp decline occurred two years in a row is unusual. In the past, fertility decline tended to happen more slowly.

Researchers say a series of crises such as Covid-19, the war in Ukraine, inflation and climate change are the causes of the falling birth rate. Study co-author, Martin Bujard from BiB, explains: “In times of such multidimensional crisis, many people cannot fulfill their desire to have children, or do not intend to have children.”

The birth rate in Germany remained stable during the early stages of the pandemic, but dropped to 1.4 as Covid-19 became more complicated. The authors suggest that many women initially delayed their plans to have children to get the vaccine, because the vaccine was not approved for pregnant women at the time. The birth rate recovered in mid-2022, but fell sharply during the fall inflation.

France is not beyond the birth rate crisis. In 2023, 678,000 children will be born in the country, down 6.7% compared to 2020 and 16% compared to 2010. The birth rate is currently at an average of 1.68 children per woman, the lowest level since since 1945.

Last year, the birth rate in France plummeted for unknown reasons. The country did not experience political conflicts or major economic crises like the United States. Experts also believe that this condition is not related to the pandemic. The country’s birth rate is in a steady decline through 2023.

The main reason is the change in the relationship between the two genders. Women with high levels of education rarely accept both working and taking care of the family. This causes the average age at which women give birth to continue to increase, once again causing the birth rate to decrease.

The impact of the crisis is increasingly evident. Population aging causes many problems for the health and pension systems. One of the core goals of governments is to address this problem.

In 2023 alone, the Italian government has allocated about one billion euros to implement measures to support women in motherhood and work. However, Ardiano Bordingnon, President of the National Family Forum (NFF), believes that this is not enough. The EU needs deeper intervention.

Other countries offer more child care, tax breaks and extended paid maternity leave for employees. Some companies are forced to create flexible working hours for workers taking care of children and open kindergartens at the workplace.

However, many experts believe that policies like the above can slow down the decline but have no chance of “turning the tide”. Because the more educated women are, the more they actively participate in the workforce, and the more assets they have, the better their lives will be. Women do not want to sacrifice their income and career prospects just to become mothers. Therefore, they want to have fewer children, and even refuse to give birth.