A newlywed couple crosses a street at a traffic light after a wedding photo shoot in central Athens, July 10. Births in Greece have fallen by about 44% since 2008-09 as fewer women have children and parenthood is increasingly delayed, according to demographic research. [AP]
Births in Greece have fallen sharply over the past two decades as fewer women have children and parenthood is increasingly postponed, according to demographic research highlighting the country’s worsening population decline.
The number of births has dropped from an annual average of 117,600 in 2008-09 to an estimated 65,000 in 2025-26 – a decline of about 44% – according to an analysis by the Institute for Demographic Research and Studies.
At the same time, the average age at which women have children continues to rise, increasing from 30.2 years in 2008 to an estimated 32.3 years in 2026.
The decline in births is largely linked to a long-term fall in fertility among women born after 1960, said Byron Kotzamanis, research director at the institute. Women born in the late 1950s had an average of about two children, while those born around 1985 are expected to have fewer than 1.5 children.
