The National Statistics Institute (INE) has released alarming data on the number of births in Spain. The report 'Natural Movement of the Population' corresponding to 2018, published yesterday reveals that births have fallen by 29 percent in the last decade, registering the lowest figure in 20 years.
In 2018 there were 369,302 births in Spain according to these provisional data, which meant a decrease of 6.1% over the previous year (23,879 births less). The number of births continues with the downward trend of the last decade, only interrupted in 2014, since since 2008 the figure has fallen by 28.95%.
Less births and fewer children
The gross birth rate stood at 7.9 births per 1,000 inhabitants, five tenths less than that registered in 2017. This is partly due to the fact that the average number of children per woman has decreased: it stood at 1.25, with a decrease of six hundredths compared to the value recorded in 2017, which is the lowest value since 2002.
In Babies and more An alarming reality: the number of births in Spain is the lowest since 1941Increasingly older mothers
The average age at maternity rose to 32.2 years in 2018, compared to 32.1 the previous year. In recent years, it has been observed that the decrease in the number of births is accompanied by a delay in maternity age.
The number of births of mothers aged 40 or over, who have grown 63.1% in 10 years. In relative terms, while in 2008 4.2% of births were of mothers 40 years or older, in 2018 that percentage rose to 9.7%.
Foreign mothers
The data is devastating, and that the births of foreign mothers contribute to raising the data. By nationality, Spanish mothers had their children at an average age three years higher than that of foreigners.
Of the 369,302 births that took place in Spain, 76,184 were of foreign mother, which represents 20.6% of the total, compared to 19.3% in 2017.
As for the average age of the mothers, among the Spanish increased up to 32.7 years, which implies that for the first time they exceed the 31 years on average when they have the first child, while in the case of foreigners it rose two tenths, up to 29.9 years.
Communities with more and less births
The number of births decreased last year in all autonomous communities and cities, except in Melilla, where it increased 0.6%. While Galicia (-10.3%), La Rioja (-9.2%) and Extremadura (-8.1%) registered the greatest decreases.
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