In 2023, there were a total of 322,075 births in Spain. It is the lowest figure since the series began in 1941. This is according to the latest – and preliminary – data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE), collected by the Spanish newspaper Europa Press.
These estimates, based on the entries in the computerised registers of civil status, give a preview of data on the number of births, deaths and vegetative growth in 2023. However, these are provisional figures, which may vary in the coming months.
Number of births has been declining for years
INE data shows that in 2023 there were 6,629 fewer births than in 2022, which means that the number of births decreased by 2% in the last year.
In addition, the number of births has fallen by 24.1% since 2013, when 424,440 births were registered. 2014 was the last year in which the number of births increased, and they have fallen every year since.
Mothers have a baby later
In recent years, it has been observed that the decrease in the number of births has been accompanied by an increase in the age of mothers. Over the past ten years, the number of births to mothers aged 40 years and older has grown by 19.3%. This is now good for 10.7%, compared to 6.8% in 2013.
However, the number of births to mothers under the age of 25 has fallen by 26% over the past decade and now accounts for 9.4% of the total, up from 9.6% in 2013.
Number of deaths
On the other hand, the number of deaths decreased by 5.8% in 2023. Last year, 435,331 people died, 26,623 fewer than in 2022.
Last year, the number of deaths only increased in the group under the age of four (1.7% more). In the 85-89 age group, the number of deaths fell by 10.8% and in the 90 and over age group by 6.1%.
The vegetative balance of the population (i.e., the difference between births and deaths in Spain) was negative at 113,256 people, according to preliminary data for 2023.
More births in Madrid and Extremadura
Per autonomous community, the number of births increased in 2023 only in the region of Madrid (2.7%) and Extremadura (0.6%). The largest decreases were seen in the autonomous cities of Melilla (-19.4%) and Ceuta (-11.8%) and in Castilla-La Mancha (-10.5%).
As for deaths, they have decreased in all regions compared to 2022. The largest decreases were in the autonomous city of Ceuta (-10.9%), Aragon (-10.6%) and the Basque Country (-8.4%).
Vegetative growth (births minus deaths) was negative in 2023 in all communities except the Madrid region (4,770), the region of Murcia (729) and the Balearic Islands (67), and in the autonomous cities of Melilla (250) and Ceuta (94). The most negative vegetative balances were recorded in Galicia (-18,701), Castilla y León (-16,270) and Andalucia (-13,544).
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