Bulgaria Tops EU Birth Rates for 2023 Amid Global Decline

Bulgaria reported the highest birth rate in the European Union for 2023, with 1.81 live births per woman, according to data released by Eurostat. This significant achievement comes on International Women's Day and Mother's Day, highlighting the country's demographic trends.

The total number of births across the EU in 2023 reached 3.67 million, marking a 5.4% decline from 2022, when 3.88 million babies were born. This represents the largest annual decrease in births in the EU since 1961. As a result, the overall fertility rate for the EU dropped to 1.38 live births per woman in 2023, down from 1.46 the previous year.

Following Bulgaria, the EU countries with the next highest fertility rates were France, with 1.66 births per woman, and Hungary, with 1.55. On the other hand, the countries with the lowest birth rates were Malta at 1.06, Spain at 1.12, and Lithuania at 1.18, according to Eurostat’s findings.