Towards a ‘baby recession’ in Europe? Differential fertility trends during the economic crisis

The relationship between the economy and population dynamics has long been discussed, but is still controversial. Fertility is commonly assumed to follow the economic cycle, falling in periods of recession and vice-versa, though scientific evidence is still not unanimous on this.

This report looks at fertility trends in 31 European countries against selected indicators of economic recession. Fertility rates are also computed for women differentiated by parity, employment status, educational attainment and migrant status, highlighting the impact that the economic crisis may have on specific population groups.