Press Release 14/08/2019
The birth rate in the Basque Country is far lower than the average of the EU-28
7.8 births per 1,000 inhabitants were recorded, compared to 9.9 births for the countries in this area in 2017
One of the most relevant demographic indicators is that which refers to the birth rate. The birth rate in the Basque Country in 2017 was among the lowest of the EU-28 countries, according to data collected in the section of Structural Indicators “The Basque Country in the EU-28” by Eustat. With 7.8 births per 1,000 inhabitants, it was far below the EU-28 average for that same year, which was 9.9. In the ranking of all the countries in the area, the birth rate in the Basque Country exceeded only that of Italy (7.6).
In 2007 the birth rate stood at 9.6 in the Basque Country. It was noteworthy that the birth rate fell drastically in the period 2012-2017, falling from 9.4 births for every 1,000 inhabitants in 2012 to 7.8 in 2017.
In these same years, 2007 and 2012, birth rates in the EU-28 countries were 10.7 and 10.4, respectively, and they were always higher than those registered in the Basque Country in the period 2007-2017.
The rate for Spain was also very low in 2017 - 8.4 births per 1,000 inhabitants - although it was slightly higher than that registered in the Basque Country. The EU-28 also registered higher birth rates than the Basque country in the years 2007 and 2012, 10.9 and 9.7 births per 1,000 inhabitants, respectively.
In the ranking of EU-28 countries, the birth rate in the Basque Country in 2017 exceeded only that of Italy (7.6 births per 1,000 inhabitants). The countries with the lowest rates, aside from Italy, were Greece (8.2), Portugal (8.4), Spain (8.4) and Croatia (8.9), among others.
On the other hand, the highest rates registered in the EU-28 corresponded to Ireland (12.9), Sweden (11.5), France and the United Kingdom (11.4 each) and the Czech Republic (10.8), among others.
For further information:
Eustat - Euskal Estatistika Erakundea / Basque Statistics Institute
C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz
Press Service: servicioprensa@eustat.es Tel: 945 01 75 62