Spain sees 25 pct less births than a decade ago in H1

MADRID, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) — The number of babies born in Spain in the first six months (H1) of 2024 fell by a quarter from a decade ago, according to estimates released by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) on Thursday.
The number of births in H1 of 2024 fell to 156,202, from 208,375 births in the first half of 2014.
According to the latest data from the Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union (EU), in 2022 Spain had the second-lowest fertility rate in the EU, with 1.16 children per woman, above Malta (1.08), and behind Italy (1.24).
Of the total number of births in H1, 51,516 were to mothers between 30 and 34 years old, and 46,371 to mothers aged 35 to 39. There were also 14,525 births to mothers aged 40 to 44, and 27,170 to mothers aged 25 to 29.
In 2023, Spain registered 322,075 births, the lowest figure since the beginning of the historical series in 1941.
The steepest decline over the past ten years was reported between 2020 and 2021.
Experts say that the reasons for the continued decline in births in Spain include an aging population, and young people delaying having children due to difficulties accessing stable employment and housing. ■