Greek Birthrate Declined by over Three Per Cent in 2019

Mother holding newborn baby boy on her knees, closeup
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Chris Tomlinson

Statistics released by the Greek government show that the country’s birthrate declined by 3.1 per cent in 2019 as deaths increased by 3.9 per cent.

According to statistics released by the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT), the country saw a total of 83,763 births in 2019, down from 86,440 the year before. The statistics also do not take into account cases of stillbirths, which increased by a substantial 35.5 per cent in 2019.

Deaths of children under the age of one also increased in 2019, raising the overall infant mortality rate from 3.47 per 1,000 live births, to 3.75, newspaper Proto Thema reports.

Marriages saw a slight decline last year as well, going from 47,428 in 2018 to 47,137 in 2019, with most unions being state marriages rather than religious ones.

Greece is just one of many European Union countries to see a falling birthrate in recent years but has still seen population growth overall due to mass migration.

Statistics released last year by the European Union statistics agency Eurostat revealed that only a small number of countries in the EU, such as Ireland and France, had more births than deaths. Countries like Italy, meanwhile, had just 7.3 births per 1,000 inhabitants.

Some countries, such as Sweden, have not only seen population growth driven by mass migration, but statistics show that the birthrate is much higher for migrant-background residents than natives.

Figures released in 2018 stated that the birthrate for foreign-born women was over two children per woman, compared to less than 1.78 children for native Swedish women.

As many European countries see falling birthrates and rising levels of mass migration to make up demographic shortfalls, Hungary has chosen to promote pro-family policies instead.

The various Hungarian polices, one of which grants couples up to €30,000 in loans that are forgiven after having three children, have led to a surge in births according to Hungarian Family Minister Katalin Novák who said in June that the number of births had increased by 5.5 per cent compared to the year before.

Follow Chris Tomlinson on Twitter at @TomlinsonCJ or email at ctomlinson(at)breitbart.com

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