The demographic picture in Greece is not reflected solely in the steady decline in birth rates. <\/p>\n
Unfortunately, it is also reflected in the gradual shift in the age at which women choose to have children. <\/p>\n
The latest data from ELSTAT for 2025 show that motherhood<\/strong> 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. <\/p>\n According to data from the statistical authority, in 2025, 65,594 children<\/strong> were born in Greece, compared to 68,467 in 2024<\/strong>. The difference amounts to 2,873 fewer births<\/strong>, representing a decline of 4.2%<\/strong>. <\/p>\n This downward trend is not a temporary phenomenon. On the contrary, it has continued unabated in recent years. <\/p>\n Over the course of five years, annual births have decreased by nearly 20,000<\/strong>. <\/p>\n The largest declines were recorded in November and January 2025, while small increases were noted in only a limited number of months. <\/p>\n The data reveal that the greatest decline is found among the younger age groups. <\/p>\n Among women aged 25 to 29<\/strong>, births fell from 33,532 in 2005<\/strong> to 12,757 in 2025<\/strong>. This represents a loss of more than 20,000 births<\/strong> over two decades. <\/p>\n The picture is similar for the 20 to 24-year-old age group<\/strong>. <\/p>\n The decline exceeds 68%<\/strong>. <\/p>\n Even the 30 to 34 age group<\/strong>, which traditionally accounted for the largest percentage of births, shows a significant decline. Births have fallen from 35,891 in 2005<\/strong> to 21,908 in 2025<\/strong>. <\/p>\n The trend indicates that people are starting families later and later. <\/p>\n At the same time, older age groups are moving in the opposite direction. <\/p>\n Among women aged 40 to 44<\/strong>, births rose from 2,825 in 2005<\/strong> to 5,780 in 2025<\/strong>, representing an increase of over 100%<\/strong>. <\/p>\n The picture is even more striking in the 45 to 49 age group<\/strong>. <\/p>\n Births have more than quadrupled in twenty years. <\/p>\n At the same time, in 2025, there were 290 births to women over 50<\/strong>, compared to just 34 in 2005. <\/p>\n In total, the number of mothers over the age of 45 reached 1,405<\/strong>. <\/p>\n This trend is linked both to the postponement of the decision to have a child and to advances in medically assisted reproduction<\/strong>, which now offers more opportunities for conception at older ages. <\/p>\n Experts point out that many factors lie behind this change. <\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n As a result, the age at which women have their first child is steadily rising. <\/p>\n Delayed childbearing is not a uniquely Greek phenomenon. <\/p>\n According to the latest data from Eurostat<\/strong>, the average age at which women in the European Union have their first child is 29.8 years<\/strong>. <\/p>\n Greece is above the European average, as Greek women become mothers for the first time at approximately 31 years<\/strong>. <\/p>\n The highest ages for first-time motherhood are recorded in: <\/p>\n At the other end of the spectrum are countries such as: <\/p>\n The gap between the two extremes in Europe exceeds four years. <\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n In Greece, however, the picture is different. <\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n 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\u2019s already negative demographic balance. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \n The demographic picture in Greece is not reflected solely in the steady decline in births.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, it is also reflected in the gradual …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-greece"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12009","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12009"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12009\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12009"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.tomanifesto.gr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} Nearly 3,000 fewer births in one year <\/h2>\n
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Those under 30 are steadily losing ground <\/h2>\n
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A sharp increase in births after age 40 <\/h2>\n
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Why the decision to have a child is being postponed <\/h2>\n
Greece\u2019s position in Europe <\/h2>\n
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Greece\u2019s particular problem <\/h2>\n