Press Release 10/05/2022
BIRTH STATISTICS. IV/2021
Births in the Basque Country increased by 4.9% in the fourth quarter of 2021
Throughout 2021 there was a 3.3% drop in the number of births
In the fourth quarter of 2021 the number of births in the Basque Country stood at 3,595, 4.9% more than in the same period of the previous year, according to Eustat data. Of note is the particularly sharp rise in Álava, with 632 births, which represents 16.2% more than the previous year; in Gipuzkoa there were 1,233 births, 8.3% more; in contrast, in Bizkaia, with 1,730 boys and girls born, there was a drop of 0.9%.
By month, the increase reached 11.2% in December and 5.2% in November; in October, however, there was a drop of 0.6%.
29.7% of women who gave birth in the Basque Country in the autumn of 2021 were of foreign nationality, which is slightly below the 30% recorded for the same period of 2020. Álava saw a higher percentage, reaching 36.9%, whereas in Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia the percentages were 28.3% and 28.1%, respectively.
More than 80% of mothers were over 30 years of age
As regards the distribution of births according to the age of the mother, 34.2% of mothers were aged 30-34, the same percentage was observed for mothers in the 35-39 age group. The 25-29 age group accounted for 14%. The number of mothers above the age of 40 (11.8%) exceeded those under 25 (5.8%).
The age of maternity also varied according to nationality. In fact, the average age of foreign mothers was 31.4, compared to 34.5 for mothers with Spanish nationality.
Unmarried mothers accounted for 50.2% of births
Births outside marriage in the fourth quarter of 2021 accounted for 50.2% of the total, up 1.1 percentage points on the number registered for the same period in 2020.
According to the order of birth, almost half, 1,780 (49.5%), of births, were first-borns; 1,299 (36.1%) were born into families that already had a child, and the number of third and subsequent children stood at 516 (14.4%).
Balance for 2021
For 2021 as a whole, the provisional birth rate reached 14,247, which is equivalent to a decrease of 492 (-3.3%) compared to data from 2020. This decrease occurred in all three provinces: in Bizkaia it was 5.1% (370 fewer births), in Gipuzkoa it stood at 1.9% (93 fewer births); and in Álava it was 1.2% (29 fewer births).
Live births in the Basque Country by province, age, marital status and nationality of the mother and birth order (1). 2021/IV
| | Current quarter | Previous quarter | Same quarter of the previous year |
| | NO. | % | NO. | % | NO. | % |
| Basque Country | 3.595 | 100,0 | 3.789 | 100,0 | 3.428 | 100,0 |
| Araba / Álava | 632 | 17,6 | 605 | 16,0 | 544 | 15,9 |
| Bizkaia | 1.730 | 48,1 | 1.863 | 49,2 | 1.745 | 50,9 |
| Gipuzkoa | 1.233 | 34,3 | 1.321 | 34,9 | 1.139 | 33,2 |
| | | | | | | |
| AGE OF THE MOTHER | | | | | | |
| 24 years or less | 210 | 5,8 | 232 | 6,1 | 241 | 7,0 |
| 25 - 29 years | 502 | 14,0 | 509 | 13,4 | 473 | 13,8 |
| 30 - 34 years | 1.230 | 34,2 | 1.323 | 34,9 | 1.205 | 35,2 |
| 35 - 39 years | 1.228 | 34,2 | 1.299 | 34,3 | 1.124 | 32,8 |
| 40 or older | 425 | 11,8 | 426 | 11,2 | 385 | 11,2 |
| | | | | | | |
| Marital status of the mother | | | | | | |
| Married | 1.790 | 49,8 | 1.954 | 51,6 | 1.746 | 50,9 |
| Not married | 1.805 | 50,2 | 1.835 | 48,4 | 1.682 | 49,1 |
| | | | | | | |
| Nationality of the mother | | | | | | |
| Spanish | 2.527 | 70,3 | 2.758 | 72,8 | 2.399 | 70,0 |
| Foreign | 1.068 | 29,7 | 1.031 | 27,2 | 1.029 | 30,0 |
| | | | | | | |
| Order of birth | | | | | | |
| First | 1.780 | 49,5 | 1.862 | 49,1 | 1.713 | 50,0 |
| Second | 1.299 | 36,1 | 1.415 | 37,3 | 1.275 | 37,2 |
| Third or more | 516 | 14,4 | 512 | 13,5 | 440 | 12,8 |
(1)The data for the current and previous quarters are provisional
Date Februay 7, 2022
Source: Eustat Birth statistics
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