According to figures released by the Flemish maternity and children’s agency (Agentschap Opgroeien) on Friday, last year the birth rate in Flanders was at its lowest level in two decades. In 2023 60,030 births were registered in Flanders. This is 1% down on the figures for 2022.
The birth rate fell in all Flemish provinces except Antwerp, where it rose slightly (+0.5%) last year. The number of births declined the most in Limburg (-2.2%), followed by East Flanders and Flemish Brabant (-1.8%). In West Flanders, the fall in the birth rate was -1.1%.
The birth rate in Flanders has been on a downward trend since 2021. It has fallen each year since then with the exception of in 2021, when a 4.6% increase in the birth rate was recorded.
This decline is not due to their being fewer woman between the ages of 20 and 40 (the ages between which most women give birth), but simply due to fewer women within this age group having babies. The decline is especially pronounced among woman between the ages of 25 and 35.
As in previous years, slightly more boys (50.9%) than girls (49.1%) were born last year. Around 45% of newborns were their mother's first child, and 35% were her second child.
There are a total of just over 1.3 children in Flanders. Of these 82% live in a family with two parents. Over 15% live in one parent families.