Data / Rankings / Crude birth rate / EU countries

EU countries by birth rate

Ireland had the highest birth rate of 27 EU countries in 2018, at 12.5 per 1,000 inhabitants. Italy had the lowest, at 7.3 per 1,000 inhabitants. The median was 9.8 per 1,000 inhabitants and the figure for the European Union (27) was 9.5 per 1,000 inhabitants. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest12.5Ireland
Lowest7.3Italy
Median9.827 EU countries
European Union (27)9.5History

All EU countries, 2018

CSVChart (SVG)

IrelandIreland: 12.5 per 1,000 inhabitants12.5SwedenSweden: 11.4 per 1,000 inhabitants11.4FranceFrance: 11.3 per 1,000 inhabitants11.3EstoniaEstonia: 10.9 per 1,000 inhabitants10.9CzechiaCzechia: 10.7 per 1,000 inhabitants10.7DenmarkDenmark: 10.6 per 1,000 inhabitants10.6SlovakiaSlovakia: 10.6 per 1,000 inhabitants10.6CyprusCyprus: 10.5 per 1,000 inhabitants10.5BelgiumBelgium: 10.4 per 1,000 inhabitants10.4RomaniaRomania: 10.4 per 1,000 inhabitants10.4LuxembourgLuxembourg: 10.3 per 1,000 inhabitants10.3PolandPoland: 10.2 per 1,000 inhabitants10.2LatviaLatvia: 10 per 1,000 inhabitants10NetherlandsNetherlands: 9.8 per 1,000 inhabitants9.8AustriaAustria: 9.7 per 1,000 inhabitants9.7HungaryHungary: 9.6 per 1,000 inhabitants9.6GermanyGermany: 9.5 per 1,000 inhabitants9.5LithuaniaLithuania: 9.5 per 1,000 inhabitants9.5SloveniaSlovenia: 9.4 per 1,000 inhabitants9.4BulgariaBulgaria: 9.3 per 1,000 inhabitants9.3CroatiaCroatia: 9.3 per 1,000 inhabitants9.3MaltaMalta: 9.2 per 1,000 inhabitants9.2FinlandFinland: 8.6 per 1,000 inhabitants8.6PortugalPortugal: 8.4 per 1,000 inhabitants8.4GreeceGreece: 8.1 per 1,000 inhabitants8.1SpainSpain: 7.9 per 1,000 inhabitants7.9ItalyItaly: 7.3 per 1,000 inhabitants7.3
per 1,000 inhabitants. Source: Eurostat. Retrieved 2026-10-07.

Full ranking

RankEU countries2018
per 1,000 inhabitants		Change on 2017
1Ireland12.5-0.3 pts
2Sweden11.4-0.1 pts
3France11.3-0.2 pts
4Estonia10.9+0.4 pts
5Czechia10.7-0.1 pts
6Denmark10.60 pts
6Slovakia10.6-0.1 pts
8Cyprus10.5-0.1 pts
9Belgium10.4-0.1 pts
9Romania10.4-0.4 pts
11Luxembourg10.3-0.1 pts
12Poland Series break10.2-0.4 pts
13Latvia10-0.7 pts
14Netherlands9.8-0.1 pts
15Austria9.7-0.3 pts
16Hungary9.6-0.1 pts
17Germany9.50 pts
17Lithuania9.5-0.3 pts
19Slovenia9.4-0.4 pts
20Bulgaria9.3-0.1 pts
20Croatia9.3+0.3 pts
22Malta9.20 pts
23Finland8.6-0.5 pts
24Portugal8.4+0.1 pts
25Greece8.1-0.2 pts
26Spain7.9-0.5 pts
27Italy7.3-0.3 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 12.5 per 1,000 inhabitants in 2018, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which EU country has the lowest birth rate?

Italy, with 7.3 per 1,000 inhabitants in 2018.

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