EU countries by birth rate

Ireland had the highest birth rate of 27 EU countries in 2017, at 12.8 per 1,000 inhabitants. Italy had the lowest, at 7.6 per 1,000 inhabitants. The median was 10 per 1,000 inhabitants and the figure for the European Union (27) was 9.7 per 1,000 inhabitants. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest12.8Ireland
Lowest7.6Italy
Median1027 EU countries
European Union (27)9.7History

All EU countries, 2017

CSVChart (SVG)

IrelandIreland: 12.8 per 1,000 inhabitants12.8FranceFrance: 11.5 per 1,000 inhabitants11.5SwedenSweden: 11.5 per 1,000 inhabitants11.5CzechiaCzechia: 10.8 per 1,000 inhabitants10.8RomaniaRomania: 10.8 per 1,000 inhabitants10.8LatviaLatvia: 10.7 per 1,000 inhabitants10.7SlovakiaSlovakia: 10.7 per 1,000 inhabitants10.7CyprusCyprus: 10.6 per 1,000 inhabitants10.6DenmarkDenmark: 10.6 per 1,000 inhabitants10.6PolandPoland: 10.6 per 1,000 inhabitants10.6BelgiumBelgium: 10.5 per 1,000 inhabitants10.5EstoniaEstonia: 10.5 per 1,000 inhabitants10.5LuxembourgLuxembourg: 10.4 per 1,000 inhabitants10.4AustriaAustria: 10 per 1,000 inhabitants10NetherlandsNetherlands: 9.9 per 1,000 inhabitants9.9LithuaniaLithuania: 9.8 per 1,000 inhabitants9.8SloveniaSlovenia: 9.8 per 1,000 inhabitants9.8HungaryHungary: 9.7 per 1,000 inhabitants9.7GermanyGermany: 9.5 per 1,000 inhabitants9.5BulgariaBulgaria: 9.4 per 1,000 inhabitants9.4MaltaMalta: 9.2 per 1,000 inhabitants9.2FinlandFinland: 9.1 per 1,000 inhabitants9.1CroatiaCroatia: 9 per 1,000 inhabitants9SpainSpain: 8.4 per 1,000 inhabitants8.4GreeceGreece: 8.3 per 1,000 inhabitants8.3PortugalPortugal: 8.3 per 1,000 inhabitants8.3ItalyItaly: 7.6 per 1,000 inhabitants7.6
per 1,000 inhabitants. Source: Eurostat. Retrieved 2026-10-07.

Full ranking

RankEU countries2017
per 1,000 inhabitants
Change on 2016
1Ireland12.8-0.6 pts
2France11.5-0.3 pts
2Sweden11.5-0.3 pts
4Czechia10.8+0.1 pts
4Romania10.8+0.4 pts
6Latvia10.7-0.5 pts
6Slovakia10.7+0.1 pts
8Cyprus10.6-0.3 pts
8Denmark10.6-0.2 pts
8Poland Estimated10.6+0.5 pts
11Belgium10.5-0.3 pts
11Estonia10.5-0.2 pts
13Luxembourg Series break10.40 pts
14Austria100 pts
15Netherlands9.9-0.2 pts
16Lithuania9.8-0.5 pts
16Slovenia9.8-0.1 pts
18Hungary9.7-0.1 pts
19Germany9.5-0.1 pts
20Bulgaria9.40 pts
21Malta9.2-0.6 pts
22Finland9.1-0.5 pts
23Croatia9-0.1 pts
24Spain8.4-0.4 pts
25Greece8.3-0.4 pts
25Portugal8.3-0.1 pts
27Italy7.6-0.3 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Live births per 1,000 residents during the year.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the EU countries are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

Eurostat. Population change, crude rates (demo_gind). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/demo_gind/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-07.

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Questions

Which EU country has the highest birth rate?

Ireland, with 12.8 per 1,000 inhabitants in 2017, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which EU country has the lowest birth rate?

Italy, with 7.6 per 1,000 inhabitants in 2017.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Eurostat, European Commission, Population change, crude rates (demo_gind). Retrieved 2026-10-07.

Crude birth rate: other rankings

EU countries: more rankings