Press release dated 13/08/2010
The birth rate for the Basque Country was under the average of EU-27 countries
However, the life expectancy of Basque women (84.3 years), along with that for Spanish women, was the second highest for the EU-27.
The Basque Country was among the EU-27 countries with the lowest number of births, according to Eustat data for 2008. Thus, with 9.9 births for every 1000 inhabitants, it was under the average of the EU-27, which stood at 10.9 births, equal to Hungary and it only exceeded Portugal (9.8), Italy (9.6), Austria (9.3) and Germany (8.3). On the other hand, the highest rates were posted by Ireland (16.9) and France (13.0). The Spanish birth rate was 11.4 per 1000 inhabitants.
If this data is compared with the 1975 figures, a radical change over the last decades can be seen, as the Basque Country then had 19.1 births per 1000 inhabitants. While the figure for Spain was 18.8 in that year, the average for this indicator for the countries making up the EU-27 stood at 14.7 births. The difference between both years (1975-2008) was much less marked than in our Community.
As far as the mortality rate was concerned, if there were 7.1 deaths per 1000 inhabitants in the Basque Country in 1975, this figure had increased to 9.0 deaths in 2008. The rate for Spain stood at 8.4 and 8.5 deaths for those years, respectively. If the figures for the EU-27 countries are analysed, the average stood at 10.7 deaths per 1000 inhabitants in 1975,compared to 9.7 deaths in 2008.
Another important demographic indicator refers to life expectancy. Specifically, this stood at 77.2 years old for men and 84.3 for women in the Basque Country in 2008. The life expectancy for women was equal to the Spanish one and the second highest for all countries of the EU-27, only exceeded by French women (84.8). In Spain, the figures were 77.8 for men and 84.3 years old for women, while the average for the EU-27 was 76.1 and 82.2 years old, respectively.
Finally, it is also noteworthy that the Basque Country had the highest population percentage aged 65 or over (18.7%) of all the EU-27 countries (only behind Germany and Italy, with 20.1%) and also the lower population aged 14 or under (13.0%). These percentages stood at 16.6% and 14.6% for Spain, respectively.
Taking 1998 as the reference year, the figures for the Basque Country were 16.7% for those aged 65 or over and 12.2% for those under 14, while they were 16.2% and 15.5% in Spain.
For further information:
Euskal Estatistika-Erakundea / Instituto Vasco de Estadística
C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz
Tlf:+34-945-01 75 00 Fax:+34-945-01 75 01 E-mail: eustat@eustat.es
Contact: Manuel Riveiros
Tel:+34-945-01 75 06 Fax:+34-945-01 75 01
Further press releases on the Basque Country in the European Union 27