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In the European Union, the total fertility rate fell from 1.53 in 2021, to 1.46 in 2022. However, despite the gloomy European trends, the Hungarian figure is the sixth best, with a rate of 1.56, above the EU average, reveals a recent analysis by Oeconomus.
In March 2024, Eurostat published the so-called total fertility rate for 2022, which shows the number of births per woman of childbearing age (15 to 49). Based on this rate, Hungary had the sixth highest fertility rate in the European Union in 2022.
In 2022, France had the highest total fertility rate in the EU (1.79 live births per woman), followed by Romania (1.71), Bulgaria (1.65), the Czech Republic (1.64), Slovakia (1.57), and Hungary (1.56). In contrast, the lowest fertility rates were found in Malta (1.08 births per woman), Spain (1.16), and Italy (1.24).
The figures show that the crises of recent years have had an impact on birth rates across Europe. The analysis points out that figures in Hungary at the beginning of the 2010s were still well below the EU average. The Hungarian indicator stood at 1.23 in 2011, while the EU average was 1.57. Over the past decade, the European average has stagnated or declined slightly.
Meanwhile, the Hungarian figures have seen a positive turnaround since 2012, with 2018 being the first year in which the Hungarian average exceeded the EU average.
The upward trend has continued, with the Hungarian figure reaching 1.61 in 2021, compared to 1.53 in the EU. However, the crises of recent years were reflected in both figures in 2022, with the indicator falling to 1.46 in the EU and 1.56 in Hungary.
Overall, Central and Eastern Europe has the highest fertility rates. In this context, the analysis highlights that years of stagnating economic performance and unfavorable demographic trends are primarily a feature of Western Europe despite record immigration from high birth-rate regions of the world, while the Central and Eastern European region, including Hungary, is consistently performing well.
The total fertility rate can ensure population sustainability if it reaches 2.1. This level is currently not achieved in any country in Europe. If the rate remains below the replacement rate for a long period, society will gradually age, making it more difficult to finance the pension system. Conversely, if fertility is too high, the process leads to overpopulation, which also puts pressure on the social care system, warns the author.
Via Oeconomus, Featured image: Pixabay