In 2022, 3.88 million children were born in the European Union, which is a significant decrease compared to 2021, when 4.09 million children were born – according to . The number of children born in the EU has been falling since 2008 (4.68 million children).
Decrease in fertility. These countries are leading, including Poland
The total fertility rate in 2022 in the European Union was 1.46 live births per woman, a further decline after the slight increase recorded in 2021. The total fertility rate was 1.53 in 2021 and 1.51 in 2020. In 2022, the highest total fertility rate in EU countries was recorded in France – 1.79 live births per woman, followed by Romania – 1.71, Bulgaria – 1.65 and the Czech Republic – 1.64. However, the lowest fertility rates were recorded in Malta – 1.08 births per woman, Spain – 1.16 and Italy – 1.24. Unfortunately, Poland is among the leading European Union countries with the lowest fertility rate. In our country it is 1.29.
“Instead of baby boom, we have baby doom”
“There is no country in the entire EU with a fertility rate above 2.1 (replacement rate). When COVID19 began, some people speculated that lockdowns would translate into a baby boom. And here the baby doom is deepening. The first estimates for ’23 show that TFR (fertility rate – ed) will be even lower,” wrote Andrzej Kubisiak from the Polish Economic Institute on the X platform.
Let us recall that the term “replacement of generations” means that the generation of parents is replaced by the generation of children. “This is a desirable state from the point of view of society, because it determines its existence and development” – we read on . It is assumed that the fertility rate between 2.10 and 2.15 indicates the replacement of generations. Meanwhile, experts from the Pekao Brokerage House provided even more negative data for Poland at the beginning of February. In their opinion, the fertility rate in Poland decreased further and in 2023 it amounted to 1.18. “Last year was the worst in history not only in terms of the number of births, but also in terms of the number of women of reproductive age” -. “According to our estimates, TFR decreased to 1.18 in 2023 from 1.26 in 2022, and a continuation of the trends of the last two years would mean a decline in TFR to 0.85 in 2030.” – economists calculated.
Source: Gazeta
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