The demographic picture in Greece is not reflected solely in the steady decline in birth rates.

Unfortunately, it is also reflected in the gradual shift in the age at which women choose to have children.

The latest data from ELSTAT for 2025 show that motherhood is shifting closer and closer to the fourth decade of life, while births to younger women are declining significantly. This is a trend observed throughout Europe, but in Greece it is compounded by a steady decline in births, a fact that heightens concerns about the future of the population.

Nearly 3,000 fewer births in one year

According to data from the statistical authority, in 2025, 65,594 children were born in Greece, compared to 68,467 in 2024. The difference amounts to 2,873 fewer births, representing a decline of 4.2%.

This downward trend is not a temporary phenomenon. On the contrary, it has continued unabated in recent years.

  • 2021: 85,346 births
  • 2022: 76,095 births
  • 2023: 71,455 births
  • 2024: 68,467 births
  • 2025: 65,594 births

Over the course of five years, annual births have decreased by nearly 20,000.

The largest declines were recorded in November and January 2025, while small increases were noted in only a limited number of months.

Those under 30 are steadily losing ground

The data reveal that the greatest decline is found among the younger age groups.

Among women aged 25 to 29, births fell from 33,532 in 2005 to 12,757 in 2025. This represents a loss of more than 20,000 births over two decades.

The picture is similar for the 20 to 24-year-old age group.

  • 2005: 14,969 births
  • 2025: 4,792 births

The decline exceeds 68%.

Even the 30 to 34 age group, which traditionally accounted for the largest percentage of births, shows a significant decline. Births have fallen from 35,891 in 2005 to 21,908 in 2025.

The trend indicates that people are starting families later and later.

A sharp increase in births after age 40

At the same time, older age groups are moving in the opposite direction.

Among women aged 40 to 44, births rose from 2,825 in 2005 to 5,780 in 2025, representing an increase of over 100%.

The picture is even more striking in the 45 to 49 age group.

  • 2005: 263 births
  • 2015: 670 births
  • 2025: 1,115 births

Births have more than quadrupled in twenty years.

At the same time, in 2025, there were 290 births to women over 50, compared to just 34 in 2005.

In total, the number of mothers over the age of 45 reached 1,405.

This trend is linked both to the postponement of the decision to have a child and to advances in medically assisted reproduction, which now offers more opportunities for conception at older ages.

Why the decision to have a child is being postponed

Experts point out that many factors lie behind this change.

Economic uncertainty, rising housing costs, low wages, and the difficulty of balancing work and family life are prompting many couples to delay the decision to have children.

At the same time, women are spending more years in education, investing in their careers, and achieving financial independence at a later age than in the past.

As a result, the age at which women have their first child is steadily rising.

Greece’s position in Europe

Delayed childbearing is not a uniquely Greek phenomenon.

According to the latest data from Eurostat, the average age at which women in the European Union have their first child is 29.8 years.

Greece is above the European average, as Greek women become mothers for the first time at approximately 31 years.

The highest ages for first-time motherhood are recorded in:

  • Italy: 31.8 years
  • Spain: 31.6 years
  • Ireland: 31.5 years
  • Luxembourg: 31.4 years
  • Greece: approximately 31 years

At the other end of the spectrum are countries such as:

  • Bulgaria: 26.9 years
  • Romania: 27.1 years
  • Slovakia: 27.4 years

The gap between the two extremes in Europe exceeds four years.

Greece’s particular problem

The rise in the age at which women have children is not considered a negative development in and of itself. In several Western European countries, women have children later, but ultimately have more children overall.

In Greece, however, the picture is different.

Women are delaying motherhood, and at the same time, total fertility remains at particularly low levels. This means that many births that are postponed never take place.

Demographers warn that as the age at which women have their first child increases, the time available for a second or third child is reduced, a fact that further exacerbates the country’s already negative demographic balance.