The European Union’s birth rate fell to its lowest recorded level in 2024, with women having an average of just 1.34 children each, according to new data from Eurostat. The figures highlight persistent demographic
challenges across the bloc, alongside substantial differences in fertility rates between regions.
The EU’s total fertility rate has remained below the estimated replacement level of 2.10 births per woman throughout the past two decades. Since comparable records began in 2001, the indicator has fluctuated between 1.34 and 1.57, with the latest figures marking a new low.
Despite the overall decline, fertility patterns vary considerably across the EU. Among the 1,165 regions at the NUTS 3 statistical level for which data were available, 714 regions, or 61.3%, reported fertility rates above the EU average in 2024. Another 439 regions, representing 37.7%, recorded lower rates, while 12 regions matched the bloc-wide figure.
Bulgaria and France among regions with higher fertility
Some parts of Europe continued to report comparatively higher fertility levels. Rates of at least 1.75 births per woman were recorded in 14 regions each in Bulgaria and France. Germany had six regions reaching this threshold, while Slovenia had three.
Two regions each in Hungary, the Netherlands and Romania also recorded fertility rates of at least 1.75. The same level was reached in individual regions in Ireland, Greece, Croatia and Slovakia.
These regional figures demonstrate that, despite the EU-wide downward trend, some areas continue to experience higher birth rates than others.
Spain, Italy and Poland record particularly low rates
At the other end of the scale, some regions reported exceptionally low fertility, with fewer than one live birth per woman on average.
Spain had 16 regions below this threshold, with particularly low figures concentrated in the north-west of the country and certain island areas. Poland followed with seven regions, while Italy had five, including Sardinia. Greece recorded three such regions, and Germany and Lithuania had two each.
The figures underline the uneven distribution of Europe’s demographic challenges, with some regions facing substantially lower fertility than the EU average.
Long-term demographic pressures
The EU’s fertility rate measures the average number of children a woman would have over her lifetime if the age-specific birth rates observed in a given year remained unchanged.
A rate of 2.10 births per woman is generally considered the level needed to maintain a population without migration, assuming prevailing mortality conditions. The EU’s continued position well below this benchmark points to the potential for further demographic pressures, including population ageing and a shrinking working-age population, although migration and changes in life expectancy also influence population trends.
Eurostat’s regional data provide a more detailed picture of these developments, showing that fertility levels can differ substantially even within the same country.
Source: Eurostat, regional fertility statistics for 2024. Photo by and ©2006 Dustin M. Ramsey (Kralizec!)
