Press Release 13/11/2023
BIRTH STATISTICS. II/2023
Births were down 3.9% in the second quarter of 2023 in the Basque Country
Babies born to unmarried mothers accounted for almost 50%
In the second quarter of 2023 the number of births in the Basque Country stood at 3,205, 3.9% down on the same period of the previous year according to Eustat data, with the cumulative annual decrease being 4.6%. By province, the biggest decrease occurred in Álava, down 8.9%. There was a 3.6% drop in Bizkaia and a fall of 1.5% in Gipuzkoa. In absolute figures, 1,577 girls and boys were born in Bizkaia, 1,077 in Gipuzkoa and 551 in Álava.
During April, May and June 2023 births outside marriage accounted for 49.6% of the total, a lower percentage than the 50.4% recorded in the same quarter of 2022. In Bizkaia this percentage was 52.9%, higher than the Basque Country average. It stood at 47% in Álava and 46.2% in Gipuzkoa.
According to the order of birth, in the second quarter of 2023, almost half, 1,509, were first children, but this was a drop of 5.8% compared to the same quarter of 2022; 1,230 girls and boys (38.4%) arrived in families that already had another son or daughter, and the percentage of third or subsequent children stood at 14.5%.
The percentage of mothers over 40 exceeded 10%
Regarding the distribution of births according to age, the group of mothers between the ages of 30-39 continued to be the majority, producing 68.2% of births. With percentages significantly lower than the previous group was the 25-29 age group (14.2%) and the under-25s (6.8%), while the group of mothers over 40 reached 10.8%.
The age of maternity for single mothers was lower than that for mothers as a whole, with 9.8% of single mothers being under the age of 25 and 17.3% between the ages of 25 and 29. However, the percentage of single mothers over 40 was 11.2%.
There were more mothers with foreign nationality
In 32.1% of births in the Basque Country during the spring months of 2023, the mother was a foreign national. This percentage was 29.1% in the same period of 2022. By province, this figure reached 41.9% in Álava, 31.3% in Bizkaia and 28.4% in Gipuzkoa.
Live births in the Basque Country by historical territory of residence, sex, age, marital status and nationality of the mother, order and month of birth (1). 2023/II
| | Current quarter (II/2023) | Previous quarter (I/2023) | Same quarter last year (2022/II) |
| | NO. | % | NO. | % | Increase | NO. | % | Increase |
| Basque Country | 3.205 | 100,0 | 3.122 | 100,0 | 2,7 | 3.334 | 100,0 | -3,9 |
| Araba / Álava | 551 | 17,2 | 491 | 15,7 | 12,2 | 605 | 18,1 | -8,9 |
| Bizkaia | 1.577 | 49,2 | 1.581 | 50,6 | -0,3 | 1.636 | 49,1 | -3,6 |
| Gipuzkoa | 1.077 | 33,6 | 1.050 | 33,6 | 2,6 | 1.093 | 32,8 | -1,5 |
| | | | | | | | | |
| Sex | | | | | | | | |
| Boys | 1.627 | 50,8 | 1.590 | 50,9 | 2,3 | 1.734 | 52,0 | -6,2 |
| Girls | 1.578 | 49,2 | 1.532 | 49,1 | 3,0 | 1.600 | 48,0 | -1,4 |
| | | | | | | | | |
| AGE OF THE MOTHER | | | | | | | | |
| = 24 years | 217 | 6,8 | 214 | 6,9 | 1,4 | 208 | 6,2 | 4,3 |
| 25 - 29 years | 456 | 14,2 | 410 | 13,1 | 11,2 | 448 | 13,4 | 1,8 |
| 30 - 34 years | 1.139 | 35,5 | 1.033 | 33,1 | 10,3 | 1.179 | 35,4 | -3,4 |
| 35 - 39 years | 1.048 | 32,7 | 1.090 | 34,9 | -3,9 | 1.122 | 33,7 | -6,6 |
| = 40 years | 345 | 10,8 | 375 | 12,0 | -8,0 | 377 | 11,3 | -8,5 |
| | | | | | | | | |
| Marital status of the mother | | | | | | | | |
| Married | 1.614 | 50,4 | 1.536 | 49,2 | 5,1 | 1.655 | 49,6 | -2,5 |
| Not married | 1.591 | 49,6 | 1.586 | 50,8 | 0,3 | 1.679 | 50,4 | -5,2 |
| | | | | | | | | |
| Nationality of the mother | | | | | | | | |
| Spanish | 2.175 | 67,9 | 2.154 | 69,0 | 1,0 | 2.363 | 70,9 | -8,0 |
| Foreign | 1.030 | 32,1 | 968 | 31,0 | 6,4 | 971 | 29,1 | 6,1 |
| | | | | | | | | |
| Order of birth | | | | | | | | |
| First | 1.509 | 47,1 | 1.528 | 48,9 | -1,2 | 1.602 | 48,1 | -5,8 |
| Second | 1.230 | 38,4 | 1.182 | 37,9 | 4,1 | 1.265 | 37,9 | -2,8 |
| Third or more | 466 | 14,5 | 412 | 13,2 | 13,1 | 467 | 14,0 | -0,2 |
| | | | | | | | | |
| Month of birth | | | | | | | | |
| April | 1.009 | 31,5 | | | | 1.017 | 30,5 | -0,8 |
| May | 1.091 | 34,0 | | | | 1.148 | 34,4 | -5,0 |
| June | 1.105 | 34,5 | | | | 1.169 | 35,1 | -5,5 |
(1)The data for the current quarter is provisional. The variations are over the current quarter
Date November 13, 2023
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