Birth Statistics data for the second quarter of 2004 produced by EUSTAT put the number of births in the A.C. of the Basque Country at 4,908, meaning a fall of 2% with regard to the same period of last year. By province, 724 children were born in Álava, 2,548 in Bizkaia and 1,636 in Gipuzkoa.

As for the order of birth, more than half of the 2,767 children born during the second quarter of 2004 were first-born; 1,826 children (37.2%) were born into families where there was already one other child and for third or subsequent children the percentage was 6.4%. Alava (45.2%) was the only Province where the proportion of second or subsequent children was above the average for the A.C. of the Basque Country, which stood at 43.6%.

In three out of four births the mother was over 30

As regards the distribution of births according to the age of the mother, the 30-34 age bracket continued to dominate, accounting for almost half the births. This group was followed by the neighbouring one of 35-39 with 25.6%, bettering the 25-29 year-olds who contributed 18.5%. In the groups at either end of the age range, those aged under 25 accounted for 5.3%, while those aged over 40 contributed only 3.9% of births.

Children born outside marriage accounted for 21.2% of the total, increasing two and a half points in relation to the second quarter of 2003. Alava, with 19.8%, was the only province with figures below that of the A.C. of the Basque Country as a whole. Maternity age for this group was lower than that the overall figure for women with children, since 17.8% of unmarried women were aged between 14 and 24.