Data / Rankings / Total fertility rate / EU countries

EU countries by fertility rate

France had the highest fertility rate of 27 EU countries in 2018, at 1.87 children per woman. Malta had the lowest, at 1.23 children per woman. The median was 1.57 children per woman and the figure for the European Union (27) was 1.54 children per woman. Source: Eurostat, European Commission.

Highest1.87France
Lowest1.23Malta
Median1.5727 EU countries
European Union (27)1.54History

All EU countries, 2018

CSVChart (SVG)

FranceFrance: 1.87 children per woman1.87RomaniaRomania: 1.76 children per woman1.76SwedenSweden: 1.76 children per woman1.76IrelandIreland: 1.74 children per woman1.74BulgariaBulgaria: 1.73 children per woman1.73DenmarkDenmark: 1.73 children per woman1.73CzechiaCzechia: 1.71 children per woman1.71EstoniaEstonia: 1.67 children per woman1.67BelgiumBelgium: 1.62 children per woman1.62LatviaLatvia: 1.6 children per woman1.6SloveniaSlovenia: 1.6 children per woman1.6NetherlandsNetherlands: 1.59 children per woman1.59GermanyGermany: 1.57 children per woman1.57HungaryHungary: 1.57 children per woman1.57SlovakiaSlovakia: 1.54 children per woman1.54CroatiaCroatia: 1.53 children per woman1.53LithuaniaLithuania: 1.53 children per woman1.53AustriaAustria: 1.47 children per woman1.47PolandPoland: 1.46 children per woman1.46PortugalPortugal: 1.42 children per woman1.42FinlandFinland: 1.41 children per woman1.41LuxembourgLuxembourg: 1.38 children per woman1.38CyprusCyprus: 1.36 children per woman1.36GreeceGreece: 1.35 children per woman1.35ItalyItaly: 1.31 children per woman1.31SpainSpain: 1.26 children per woman1.26MaltaMalta: 1.23 children per woman1.23
children per woman. Source: Eurostat. Retrieved 2026-10-07.

Full ranking

RankEU countries2018
children per woman		Change on 2017
1France Provisional1.87-0.02
2Romania1.76-0.02
2Sweden1.76-0.02
4Ireland1.74-0.02
5Bulgaria1.73+0.02
5Denmark1.73-0.02
7Czechia1.71+0.02
8Estonia1.67+0.08
9Belgium1.62-0.03
10Latvia1.6-0.09
10Slovenia1.6-0.02
12Netherlands1.59-0.03
13Germany1.570
13Hungary1.57+0.01
15Slovakia1.54+0.02
16Croatia1.53+0.07
16Lithuania1.53-0.04
18Austria1.47-0.05
19Poland Estimated1.46-0.02
20Portugal1.42+0.04
21Finland1.41-0.08
22Luxembourg1.38-0.01
23Cyprus1.36+0.02
24Greece1.350
25Italy Series break1.31-0.03
26Spain1.26-0.05
27Malta1.23-0.03

Other periods

About this ranking

Average number of children a woman would have over her lifetime at current age-specific fertility rates.

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. Fertility indicators (demo_find). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/demo_find/default/table. Retrieved 2026-10-07.

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Questions

Which EU country has the highest fertility rate?

France, with 1.87 children per woman in 2018, according to Eurostat, European Commission.

Which EU country has the lowest fertility rate?

Malta, with 1.23 children per woman 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, Fertility indicators (demo_find). Retrieved 2026-10-07.

Total fertility rate: other rankings

EU countries: more rankings