Press Release 05/02/2024
BIRTH STATISTICS. III/2023
Births were down 1.6% in the third quarter of 2023 in the Basque Country
Babies born to unmarried mothers accounted for 50% and 31.3% of mothers were foreign nationals
In the third quarter of 2023 the number of births in the Basque Country stood at 3,478, 1.6% down on that registered in the same period of the previous year, according to Eustat data. The cumulative annual decrease stood at 3.2%. By province, the sharpest drop was in Gipuzkoa, down 3%; there was also a decrease in Bizkaia, with a fall of 1.2%; while in Álava there was an increase of 0.2%. In absolute figures, 1,763 girls and boys were born in Bizkaia, 1,150 in Gipuzkoa and 565 in Álava.
During the summer months of 2023, births outside marriage accounted for 50% of the total, higher than the 49.5% recorded in the same quarter of 2022. This percentage was 53.3% in Bizkaia, 49.7% in Álava and 45% in Gipuzkoa.
According to the order of birth, in the third quarter of 2023 more than half (1,788) were first children; 1,195 girls and boys (34.4%) arrived in families that already had another child, and the percentage of third or subsequent children reached 14.2%.
The percentage of mothers over 40 was 10.9%
Regarding the distribution of births according to age, the group of mothers between the ages of 30-39 continued to be the majority, producing 68.8% of births. With percentages significantly lower than the previous group was the 25-29 age group (13.3%) and the under-25s (7%), while the group of mothers over 40 reached 10.9%.
The age of maternity for single mothers was lower than that for mothers as a whole, with 9.5% of them under the age of 25 and 15.8% between the ages of 25 and 29. The percentage of single mothers over 40 was 11%.
There were more mothers with foreign nationality
During July, August and September 2023, the mother was a foreign national in 31.3% of births in the Basque Country. This percentage was 31.1% in the same period of 2022. By province, this figure reached 38.4% in Álava , 32.6% in Gipuzkoa and 28.2% in Bizkaia.
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/III
| | Current quarter (III/2023) | Previous quarter (II/2023) | Same quarter of previous year (III/2022) |
| | NO. | % | NO. | % | Increase | NO. | % | Increase |
| Basque Country | 3.478 | 100,0 | 3.238 | 100,0 | 7,4 | 3.534 | 100,0 | -1,6 |
| Araba / Álava | 565 | 16,2 | 555 | 17,1 | 1,8 | 564 | 16,0 | 0,2 |
| Bizkaia | 1.763 | 50,7 | 1.581 | 48,8 | 11,5 | 1.785 | 50,5 | -1,2 |
| Gipuzkoa | 1.150 | 33,1 | 1.102 | 34,0 | 4,4 | 1.185 | 33,5 | -3,0 |
| | | | | | | | | |
| Sex | | | | | | | | |
| Boys | 1.769 | 50,9 | 1.643 | 50,7 | 7,7 | 1.831 | 51,8 | -3,4 |
| Girls | 1.709 | 49,1 | 1.595 | 49,3 | 7,1 | 1.703 | 48,2 | 0,4 |
| | | | | | | | | |
| AGE OF THE MOTHER | | | | | | | | |
| = 24 years | 244 | 7,0 | 220 | 6,8 | 10,9 | 246 | 7,0 | -0,8 |
| 25 - 29 years | 465 | 13,3 | 461 | 14,2 | 0,9 | 457 | 12,9 | 1,8 |
| 30 - 34 years | 1.251 | 36,0 | 1.148 | 35,5 | 9,0 | 1.231 | 34,8 | 1,6 |
| 35 - 39 years | 1.140 | 32,8 | 1.062 | 32,8 | 7,3 | 1.233 | 34,9 | -7,5 |
| = 40 years | 378 | 10,9 | 347 | 10,7 | 8,9 | 367 | 10,4 | 3,0 |
| | | | | | | | | |
| Marital status of the mother | | | | | | | | |
| Married | 1.739 | 50,0 | 1.631 | 50,4 | 6,6 | 1.783 | 50,5 | -2,5 |
| Not married | 1.739 | 50,0 | 1.607 | 49,6 | 8,2 | 1.751 | 49,5 | -0,7 |
| | | | | | | | | |
| Nationality of the mother | | | | | | | | |
| Spanish | 2.388 | 68,7 | 2.195 | 67,8 | 8,8 | 2.435 | 68,9 | -1,9 |
| Foreign | 1.090 | 31,3 | 1.043 | 32,2 | 4,5 | 1.099 | 31,1 | -0,8 |
| | | | | | | | | |
| Order of birth | | | | | | | | |
| First | 1.788 | 51,4 | 1.525 | 47,1 | 17,2 | 1.732 | 49,0 | 3,2 |
| Second | 1.195 | 34,4 | 1.234 | 38,1 | -3,2 | 1.315 | 37,2 | -9,1 |
| Third or more | 495 | 14,2 | 479 | 14,8 | 3,3 | 487 | 13,8 | 1,6 |
| | | | | | | | | |
| Month of birth | | | | | | | | |
| July | 1.183 | 34,0 | | | | 1.256 | 35,5 | -5,8 |
| August | 1.147 | 33,0 | | | | 1.189 | 33,6 | -3,5 |
| September | 1.148 | 33,0 | | | | 1.089 | 30,8 | 5,4 |
(1)The data for the current and previous quarters are provisional. The variations are over the current quarter
Date September 11, 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