Birth; key figures, 1950-2022

Birth; key figures, 1950-2022

Periods Live born children Total live born children (number) Live born children Crude birth rate (per 1,000 inhabitants) Live born children General Fertility Rate (per 1,000) Live born children By sex Total live born children (number) Live born children By sex Boys (number) Live born children By sex Girls (number) Live born children By sex Boys per 1,000 girls (per 1,000 girls) Live born children By age of the mother (on 31 December) Total live born children (number) Live born children By age of the mother (on 31 December) Younger than 20 years (number) Live born children By age of the mother (on 31 December) 20 to 25 years (number) Live born children By age of the mother (on 31 December) 25 to 30 years (number) Live born children By age of the mother (on 31 December) 30 to 35 years (number) Live born children By age of the mother (on 31 December) 35 to 40 years (number) Live born children By age of the mother (on 31 December) 40 to 45 years (number) Live born children By age of the mother (on 31 December) 45 years or older (number) Confinements: single and multiple Multiple confinements Twin confinements Total twin confinements (number) Confinements: single and multiple Multiple confinements Twin confinements 2 boys (number) Confinements: single and multiple Multiple confinements Twin confinements 1 boy and 1 girl (number) Confinements: single and multiple Multiple confinements Twin confinements 2 girls (number) Confinements: single and multiple Multiple confinements Triplets, quadruplets etcetera (number) Average age of the mother At 2nd birth (year)
1950 229,718 22.7 90.5 229,718 118,521 111,197 1,066 229,718 3,562 32,747 71,176 60,682 42,024 17,715 1,812 2,878 937 1,031 910 30 29.0
1955 229,222 21.3 88.5 229,222 117,588 111,634 1,053 229,222 3,954 35,324 72,096 63,618 37,169 15,460 1,601 2,958 988 1,012 958 29 28.8
1960 239,128 20.8 89.0 239,128 122,796 116,332 1,056 239,128 5,432 42,461 78,834 61,121 36,660 13,271 1,349 2,952 1,033 991 928 26 28.5
1965 245,216 19.9 84.1 245,216 126,064 119,152 1,058 245,216 9,743 56,023 82,650 55,126 29,915 10,727 1,032 2,784 971 888 925 20 27.8
1970 238,912 18.3 77.0 238,912 122,330 116,582 1,049 238,912 9,239 73,386 83,294 45,763 20,249 6,360 621 2,365 786 765 814 18 27.2
1975 177,876 13.0 53.6 177,876 91,090 86,786 1,050 177,876 5,384 47,863 83,429 29,948 8,885 2,160 207 1,715 566 514 635 28 27.3
1980 181,294 12.8 50.5 181,294 92,948 88,346 1,052 181,294 4,203 41,403 80,940 43,955 8,916 1,700 177 1,927 688 541 698 25 27.9
1985 178,136 12.3 46.6 178,136 91,027 87,109 1,045 178,136 2,988 32,813 77,024 50,091 13,274 1,725 221 2,058 716 653 689 32 28.5
1990 197,965 13.2 49.9 197,965 101,561 96,404 1,053 197,965 3,258 25,988 76,315 68,923 20,438 2,778 265 2,690 892 882 916 118 29.6
1995 190,513 12.3 47.3 190,513 97,560 92,953 1,050 190,513 1,904 18,366 62,700 76,235 27,502 3,644 162 3,070 1,072 990 1,008 66 30.7
2000 206,619 13.0 52.4 206,619 105,637 100,982 1,046 206,619 2,503 17,456 57,358 87,117 36,750 5,249 186 3,639 1,203 1,335 1,101 79 31.4
2005 187,910 11.5 48.0 187,910 96,338 91,572 1,052 187,910 2,010 16,693 48,852 73,845 39,967 6,308 235 3,448 1,165 1,199 1,084 48 31.8
2010 184,397 11.1 48.0 184,397 94,129 90,268 1,043 184,397 1,884 16,417 51,570 69,420 37,213 7,565 328 2,974 956 1,060 958 44 31.7
2015 170,510 10.1 45.4 170,510 87,427 83,083 1,052 170,510 1,109 13,125 48,724 66,373 34,070 6,733 376 2,639 921 855 863 43 31.8
2016 172,520 10.1 46.0 172,520 88,587 83,933 1,055 172,520 1,076 12,580 48,557 67,760 35,205 6,922 420 2,534 834 845 855 33 31.8
2017 169,836 9.9 45.2 169,836 87,159 82,677 1,054 169,836 1,023 11,722 47,197 67,575 34,905 6,941 473 2,554 889 852 813 33 31.9
Source: CBS.
Explanation of symbols

Table explanation


Key figures on fertility, live and stillborn children and multiple births among inhabitants of The Netherlands.

Available selections:
- Live born children by sex;
- Live born children by age of the mother (31 December), in groups;
- Live born children by birth order from the mother;
- Live born children by marital status of the mother;
- Live born children by migration background of the mother;
- Stillborn children by duration of pregnancy;
- Births: single and multiple;
- Average number of children per female;
- Average number of children per male;
- Average age of the mother at childbirth by birth order from the mother;
- Average age of the father at childbirth by birth order from the mother.

CBS is in transition towards a new classification of the population by origin. Greater emphasis is now placed on where a person was born, aside from where that person’s parents were born. The term ‘migration background’ is no longer used in this regard. The main categories western/non-western are being replaced by categories based on continents and a few countries that share a specific migration history with the Netherlands. The new classification is being implemented gradually in tables and publications on population by origin.

Data available from: 1950
Most of the data is available as of 1950 with the exception of the live born children by migration background of the mother (from 1996), stillborn children by duration of pregnancy (24+) (from 1991), average number of children per male (from 1996) and the average age of the father at childbirth (from 1996).

Status of the figures:
All data recorded in this publication are final data.

Changes per 6 November 2023:
None, this table was discontinued.

When will new figures be published?
No longer applicable. This table is succeeded by the table 'Births; key figures'. See section 3.

Description topics

Live born children
Live born child:
A baby showing some sign of life after birth, regardless of the duration of pregnancy.

Lesbian parenthood:
The law on lesbian parenthood came into effect on 1 April 2014. From April 2014 onwards the female partner of the biological mother may become the legal parent of the child without a legal adoption procedure. The same data for both mothers are available in the municipal population register.
Statistics Netherlands does not have information about which of the mothers is the biological mother. To obtain data about, for example, the age, number of children and ethnic background of the mother, Statistics Netherlands selects one of the mothers at random.
Lesbian parenthood occurs in less than 0.2% of all births.
Total live born children
Crude birth rate
Live born children per thousand of the average number of inhabitants.
General Fertility Rate
The number of live born babies per thousand of the average number of women aged 15 to 50 in the period of observation.

Age of the mother (on 31 December)
The number of whole years that have passed between the mother's date of birth and 31 December of the year of birth of her child.
By sex
Total live born children
Boys
Girls
Boys per 1,000 girls
The number of live born boys per thousand live born girls.
By age of the mother (on 31 December)
Live born children by age of the mother (on 31 December).

Live born child:
A baby showing some sign of life after birth, regardless of the duration of pregnancy.

Age mother (on 31 December)
The number of whole years that have passed between the mother's date of birth and 31 December of the year of birth of her child.
Total live born children
Younger than 20 years
20 to 25 years
25 to 30 years
30 to 35 years
35 to 40 years
40 to 45 years
45 years or older
Confinements: single and multiple
Deliveries after a pregnancy lasting at least 28 weeks irrespective of viability of child.

Lesbian parenthood:
The law on lesbian parenthood came into effect on 1 April 2014. From April 2014 onwards the female partner of the biological mother may become the legal parent of the child without a legal adoption procedure. The same data for both mothers are available in the municipal population register.
Statistics Netherlands does not have information about which of the mothers is the biological mother. To obtain data about, for example, the age, number of children and ethnic background of the mother, Statistics Netherlands selects one of the mothers at random.
Lesbian parenthood occurs in less than 0.2% of all births.
Multiple confinements
Deliveries of two or more children out of the same pregnancy.
Twin confinements
Deliveries of two children out of the same pregnancy.
Total twin confinements
2 boys
Twin confinements of two boys.
1 boy and 1 girl
Twin confinements of one boy and one girl.
2 girls
Twin confinements of two girls.
Triplets, quadruplets etcetera
Deliveries of three or more children out of the same pregnancy.
Average age of the mother
Average age of the mother at childbirth.

Average age:
The arithmetic mean of all ages.

Age mother:
The number of whole years that have passed between the mother's date of birth and 31 December of the year of birth of her child.

At 2nd birth
Average age of the mother at childbirth, second live born children from the mother.

Live born child:
A baby showing some sign of life after birth, regardless of the duration of pregnancy.