🇪🇺 #Birth #Rates Hit New #Low 🚼↘️
#Record #Low #Birth# Rates
#2023 #Births: The number of babies born in the EU fell to 3,665,000 in 2023, the lowest since data collection began in 1961.
#Annual #Decline: This represents a 5.5% drop from 2022, the largest annual decline on record.
#Comparison to #Forecast: The 2023 figure is lower than the 4 million births forecasted by Eurostat.
#Long-#Term #Decline
#Historical #Peak: Birth rates peaked at nearly 7 million in the mid-1960s.
#Current #Levels: Birth rates have sharply declined and are now similar to those in the US.
#Economic and #Social #Implications
#State #Finances: The decline in births is expected to increase pressure on state finances due to shrinking working-age populations and rising costs in healthcare and pensions.
#Factors #Contributing to #Decline
#Economic and #Social #Uncertainties: Concerns over job insecurity, rising living costs, housing prices, and global crises like the pandemic and climate change are affecting reproductive decisions.
#Labor #Market #Challenges: Young people face greater difficulties in establishing themselves in the labor, housing, and dating markets.
#Delayed #Parenthood
#Rising #Age of #Mothers: The average age of women at the birth of their first child was nearly 30 in 2022, up from 28.8 in 2013.
#Births #Among #Older #Mothers: The share of births among mothers aged 40 and above has more than doubled over the past decade, from 2.5% to 6%.
#Regional #Trends
#Sharp #Declines: Countries like Italy, Spain, Greece, Poland, Finland, and the Baltic states have seen births fall by at least a quarter over the past decade.
#Recommendations for #Governments
#Boosting #Fertility: Governments should prepare for low fertility by boosting immigration, productivity, and labor force participation, especially among women.
#Supporting #Young #People: Policies should support young people in education, the labor market, mental health, and accessing affordable housing.
Text based on Article by Valentina Romei in Financial Times
Graph created in Macrobond Financial
Source link : http://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=674f24cffc614b028344417924e657f5&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fnews%2Fstory%2Frecord-fall-in-eu-birth-rates-6454145%2F&c=1556444214369610611&mkt=de-de
Author :
Publish date : 2024-12-03 06:58:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
