Birth; key figures, 1950-2022

Dataset is not available.


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No longer applicable.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
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
By birth order from the mother
Live born children by birth order from the mother.

Birth order from the mother:
The position of the child in the ranking of live births from a mother.
Total live born children
4th or following children
Live born fourth or following children from the mother.
By marital status of the mother
Marital status:
Legal status involving someone's rights and competences as determined by legal marriage and registered partnership.

Break in series
From 2010 onwards a small shift has occurred between a number of marital statuses (fewer never married and more married, divorced and widowed respectively). Because information on some marital statuses was lacking for the period 1998 to 2010 in data used by Statistics Netherlands, 'divorced after partnership' and 'widowed after partnership' were not included in these statistics for this period. For these statistics, the marital status before the partnership was used instead, which was mostly 'never married'. From 2010 all marital statuses are available.

Never married:
From 2010: marital status indicating that someone was never married or never in a registered partnership.
1998 to 2010: marital status indicating that someone was never married. Because information was lacking on some marital statuses in the period 1998 to 2010 in data used by Statistics Netherlands, partnerships were not included in this period. For these statistics, this results in data including 'partnership after never married'. For 'widowed after partnership' and 'divorced after partnership' the marital status before the partnership was used, which was mostly unmarried.
Until 1998: marital status indicating that someone was never married.

Married:
From 2010: legally married and partnership.
1998 to 2010: legally married.
Because information was lacking on some marital statuses in data in the period 1998 to 2010 used by Statistics Netherlands, partnerships were not included in this period.
Until 1998: legally married.

Legally married:
Marital status resulting from having married legally. Including judicial separations which are included in the category married.

Partnership:
Marital status resulting from entering into a registered partnership.

Divorced:
From 2010: divorced after legal marriage and divorced after partnership.
1998 to 2010: divorced after legal marriage.
Because information was lacking on some marital statuses in data in the period 1998 tot 2010 used by Statistics Netherlands, partnerships were not included in this period. For these statistics, this results in data including 'partnership after divorced'. For 'divorced after partnership' the marital status before the partnership was used, which was mostly unmarried.
Until 1998: divorced after legal marriage.

Divorced after a legal marriage:
Marital status resulting from ending a legal marriage by divorce.
Excluding judicial separations which are included in the category married.

Divorced after partnership:
Marital status resulting from ending a registered partnership other than by the death of the partner.

Widowed:
From 2010: widowed after a legal marriage and widowed after a partnership.
From 1998 to 2010: widowed after a legal marriage.
Because information was lacking on some marital statuses in the period 1998 to 2010 in data used by Statistics Netherlands, partnerships were not included in this period. For these statistics, this results in data including 'partnership after widowed'. For 'widowed after partnership' the marital status before the partnership was used, which was mostly unmarried.
Until 1998 widowed after a legal marriage.

Widowed after a legal marriage:
Marital status resulting from death ending a legal marriage.

Widowed after partnership:
Marital status resulting from death ending a registered partnership.

Marriage:
Legal, formally sanctioned living arrangement between two people.
Since 1 April 2001, it is legally possible for people in the Netherlands to marry a person of the same sex.

Registered partnership:
A marriage-like relationship between two people of the opposite or same sex, registered at the Register of Births, Deaths and Marriages. Registered partnership was introduced in The Netherlands on 1 January 1998.
Total live born children
By migration background of the mother
Live born children by origin of the mother.
Available from 1996.

Migration background:
The country with which a person has the closest ties, based on his/her parents' country of birth or his/her own country of birth.
The migration background of a person with a first-generation migration background is defined as his or her country of birth.
The migration background of a person with a second-generation migration background is defined as his or her mother's country of birth, unless the mother's country of birth is the Netherlands. In that case, the migration background is defined as the father's country of birth.
Total live born children
Stillborn children by duration of pre...
Stillborn children by duration of pregnancy.

Stillborn child:
Baby born after a pregnancy lasting at least 24 weeks (prior to 1 July 1991 this was 28 weeks) who showed no sign of life after birth such as breathing, activity of the heart or muscles.

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.
Stillborn children (24+)
Stillborn children after a pregnancy of at least 24 weeks.
Available from 1991.
Stillborn children (24+), ratio
Stillborn children per thousand born children (live born and stillborn).

Stillborn child:
Baby born after a pregnancy lasting at least 24 weeks who showed no sign of life after birth such as breathing, activity of the heart or muscles.

Live born child:
A baby showing some sign of life after birth, regardless of the duration of pregnancy.
Stillborn children (28+)
Stillborn children after a pregnancy of at least 28 weeks.
Stillborn children (28+), ratio
Stillborn children per thousand live born children (live born and stillborn).

Stillborn child:
Baby born after a pregnancy lasting at least 28 weeks who showed no sign of life after birth such as breathing, activity of the heart or muscles.

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