Europe’s population is no longer replacing itself.
Across the continent, fertility rates have fallen below the2.1 births per womanneeded to maintain stable population levels, with no country meeting that threshold as of 2024.
The map below,via Visual Capitalist's Gabriel Cohen,shows the number of live births per woman across Europe using the most recent data fromEurostat,FRED, and the UK’sOffice for National Statistics.
From Ukraine (0.99) to Spain (1.1),some of Europe’s largest countries now rank among those with the lowest birth rates, highlighting how widespread the decline has become.
Europe’s lowest birth rates are concentrated in the east and south, where economic strain and geopolitical instability have accelerated long-term declines.
Ukraine has seen the sharpest drop. Its fertility rate, which last exceeded the replacement level in 1986, fell to 0.9 in 2022 before recovering slightly to 0.99 in 2024.
Among countries at peace, Malta has one of the lowest fertility rates at 1.01, followed by Spain (1.1) and Poland (1.14).
This data table lists European countries alongside their fertility rates as of 2024.
Lower fertility in countries like Spain and Poland reflects a mix of economic pressures, including lower wages and the rising cost of raising children, alongside broader trends seen across developed economies.
Aging populations are already reshaping national priorities. As Poland seeks to build a larger military, its shrinking population presents astrategic vulnerability.
Source: ZeroHedge News
