Press Release 13/12/2013

BIRTH STATISTICS OF THE BASQUE COUNTRY (ENAC) 2ND QUARTER 2013

Births in the Basque Country fell by 10% in the second quarter of 2013

Babies born to unmarried mothers account for 37%

The number of births in the Basque Country in the second quarter of 2013 stood at 4,820, a figure 10% lower than that recorded in the same period of the previous year, according to Eustat data. The number of births fell in the three provinces but to different degrees: in Gipuzkoa they were down by 11.3%, in Bizkaia, 9,4% and in Álava, 9%. Specifically, 793 girls and boys were born in Álava, 1,571 in Gipuzkoa and 2,440 in Bizkaia.

During April, May and June 2013 births outside marriage accounted for 37.1% of the total, a higher percentage than the 34.5% recorded in the same quarter of 2012. Bizkaia, with 37.3%, was the only province to post figures higher than the Basque Country overall. In Gipuzkoa and in Álava the percentages were lower: 36.9% in both provinces.

According to the order of birth in the second quarter of 2013 more than half, 2,494, were first children; 1,885 girls and boys (39.2%) arrived in families that already had another son or daughter, and the percentage of third or subsequent children stood at 8.8%.

In 18.8% of births the mothers were under 30 years of age

Regarding the distribution of births according to age, the group of mothers between the ages of 30 and 34 continued to be in the majority, producing 39.4% of births. They were immediately followed by the 35 to 39 age group, with 34.5%. With percentages significantly lower than the previous groups was the 25 to 29 age group (13.6%) and the extreme age groups: the under-25s, accounting for 5.2%, and the over-40s, with 7.3% of births.

The age of maternity for single mothers was lower than that for women who had children as a whole, with 10.1% of single mothers being under the age of 25 and 16.9% between the ages of 25 and 29.

17.5% of mothers were foreign nationals

In 17.5% of births in the Basque Country during the spring months of 2013, the mother was a foreign national. This average was significantly higher in Álava where it stood at 24.8%, against the 16.4% in Bizkaia and the 15.7% in Gipuzkoa.

For further information:

Eustat - Euskal Estatistika Erakundea / Instituto Vasco de Estadística C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz Press Service: servicioprensa@eustat.eus Tlf: 945 01 75 62 Further press releases on BIRTH STATISTICS of the Basque Country Database on BIRTH STATISTICS of the Basque Country