These summary metadata refer to the first results on the main demographic developments in the year of reference.

Member States send to Eurostat the first results on the main demographic developments in the year of reference (T), containing the total population figure on 31 December of year T (further published by Eurostat as Population on 1 January of year T+1), total births and total deaths during year T. This data collection is defined under http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32013R1260&from=EN" target="_blank">Regulation 1260/2013 on European demographic statistics. Countries may also transmit to Eurostat, on voluntary basis, provisional data on total immigration, emigration and net migration during the year (T).

Eurostat's data collection on the above figures is called DEMOBAL and it is carried out in June of each year. Eurostat publishes these first demographic estimates in July of each year in the online database, in the table Population change - Demographic balance and crude rates (demo_gind).

These first demographic estimates may either be confirmed or updated by Eurostat's demographic data collection taking place in December each year (called Unidemo), whereby countries submit detailed breakdowns (e.g. by age and sex) of their yearly population data, including data on migration, both at national and at regional level. The online table Population change - Demographic balance and crude rates (demo-gind) will be accordingly updated. This table includes the latest updates on total population, births and deaths reported by the countries, while the detailed breakdowns by various characteristics included in the rest of the tables of the Eurostat database (Demography domain and Migration, for example the Population by citizenship and by country of birth table) may be transmitted to Eurostat at a subsequent date.

The online table Population change - Demographic balance and crude rates (demo-gind) contains time series going back to 1960; data before 2013 were collected by Eurostat from the national statistical offices on voluntary basis.

The individual metadata files reported by the countries are attached to this metadata file.

Historical dataset showing European Union birth rate by year from 1960 to 2023.

Live births are the births of children that showed any sign of life. The crude birth rate is 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 persons.

Historical dataset showing European Union fertility rate by year from 1960 to 2023.

Women born in and outside the Netherlands, non - Western and Western countries and Dutch women. Period 1990 - 2050 Changed March 18, 2003. Frequency: Discontinued.