In 2023, the Faroe Islands was the European country estimated to have the highest fertility rate. The small Atlantic island state had a fertility rate of 2.71 children per woman. Other small countries such as Monaco and Gibraltar also came towards the top of the list for 2023, while the large country with the highest fertility rate was France, with 1.79 children per woman. On the other hand, Andorra, San Marino, and Malta had the lowest fertility rates in Europe, with Ukraine, Spain, and Italy being the largest countries with low fertility rates in that year, averaging around 1.3 children per woman.

The average for 2022 based on 27 countries was 1.47 births per woman. The highest value was in Romania: 1.81 births per woman and the lowest value was in Malta: 1.15 births per woman. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

This statistic depicts the crude birth rate (per 1,000 population) in the European Union and the United Kingdom in 2022. The crude birth rate was highest in Ireland with 11.2 births per thousand women, while Italy had the lowest birth rate with 6.7 births per 1,000 women.

The crude birth rate in Turkey was estimated to be 12.3 live births per 1,000 population in 2023, the highest among countries in Europe. By contrast, Ukraine had the lowest crude birth rate in Europe, at 5.6 live births per 1,000 population.

The average for 2022 based on 27 countries was 8.93 births per 1000 people. The highest value was in Ireland: 11.2 births per 1000 people and the lowest value was in Italy: 6.7 births per 1000 people. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

The average for 2022 based on 195 countries was 18.38 births per 1000 people. The highest value was in Niger: 45.03 births per 1000 people and the lowest value was in Hong Kong: 4.4 births per 1000 people. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

In 2022, there were around 3.88 million live births in the European Union, with Germany having the highest number of live births at 738,819, compared with 726,533 in France.

This statistic depicts the number of children born per women aged between 15 and 49 years old in the European Union in 2022, by country. The fertility rate in Europe was highest among women in Romania, France, and Bulgaria, at 1.8 children in each of the mentioned countries.

The average for 2022 based on 46 countries was 9.27 births per 1000 people. The highest value was in Turkey: 14.47 births per 1000 people and the lowest value was in San Marino: 6.1 births per 1000 people. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

This horizontal bar chart displays fertility rate (births per woman) by country using the aggregation average, weighted by population female in Europe. The data is about countries.

This area map of countries shows the average, weighted by population, of birth rate in Europe. The darker shades for each country indicate a higher average, weighted by population, of birth rate.

Graph and download economic data for Crude Birth Rate for Developing Countries in Europe and Central Asia (SPDYNCBRTINECA) from 1960 to 2023 about Central Asia, birth, crude, Europe, and rate.

Crude birth rate : The ratio of the number of live births during the year to the average population in that year. The value is expressed per 1 000 population. Total fertility rate : Mean number of children that would be born alive to a woman during her lifetime if she were to pass through and survive her childbearing years conforming to the fertility rates by age of a given year. Description copied from catalog.inspire.geoportail.lu.

In 2022, the crude birth rate in Europe (the number of live births per 1,000 population) was estimated to be 9.2, which is also the lowest birth rate in the provided time period. Between 1950 and 2022, the birth rate was highest in Europe in 1950 when it stood at 22.2.

In 2023, the birth rate in France reached its lowest level since 1982. From 1982 to 2019, the birth rate in France has been fluctuating between more than 11 births and almost 14 births for 1,000 inhabitants. For the first time in this period, the birth rate fell below 11 in 2020. The highest birth rate in France during this period was recorded in 1982. That year there were 14.8 births per 1,000 inhabitants. Since then, the birth rate in the country keeps decreasing. If France keeps being one of the European countries with the highest fertility rate, it is still been impacted by the decline in the birth rate that affects most Western countries.

A Declining birth rate

Birth rate is the ration between the annual number of live births and the average total population over that year. In 2023, there were 640,000 live births in France, while the French population amounted to 68 million people. The average number of children born per women went from 2.03 in 2010, down to 1.83 in 2020.

Births in France

With a crude birth rate of 10.9 births per 1,000 inhabitants in 2020, France still has one of the highest birth rates in Europe. The percentage of children born out-of-wedlock in France has been rising since the nineties, reaching 65.2 percent in 2022. Another change can be seen in the average age at childbirth among French women. In 2022, most of women in France were aged 31.1 years old at childbirth, compared to 28.8 years old in 1994.

Graph and download economic data for Fertility Rate, Total for Developing Countries in Europe and Central Asia (SPDYNTFRTINECA) from 1960 to 2023 about Central Asia, fertility, Europe, and rate.

Graph and download economic data for Adolescent Fertility Rate for Developing Countries in Europe and Central Asia (SPADOTFRTECA) from 1960 to 2023 about Central Asia, fertility, Europe, and rate.

European Union fertility rate for 2023 was 1.39, a 4.84% decline from 2022.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>European Union fertility rate for 2022 was <strong>1.46</strong>, a <strong>4.57% decline</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>European Union fertility rate for 2021 was <strong>1.53</strong>, a <strong>1.38% increase</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>European Union fertility rate for 2020 was <strong>1.51</strong>, a <strong>1.43% decline</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>Total fertility rate represents the number of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her childbearing years and bear children in accordance with age-specific fertility rates of the specified year.

This scatter chart displays birth rate (per 1,000 people) against population (people) and is filtered where the continent is Europe. The data is about countries.

Fertility Rate, Total for Developing Countries in Europe and Central Asia was 1.98306 Births per Woman in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Fertility Rate, Total for Developing Countries in Europe and Central Asia reached a record high of 3.47574 in January of 1955 and a record low of 1.63174 in January of 2001. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Fertility Rate, Total for Developing Countries in Europe and Central Asia - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on May of 2025.