Euskadi's Birth Rates Rise in 2025
In a significant reversal of trend, Euskadi experienced its first increase in birth rates since 2014, with a total of 13,344 children born in 2025. This marks a 3.1% rise compared to the previous year, translating to 407 more births. This increase was observed across all three provinces: Álava recorded 2,163 births (up 3.3%), Bizkaia saw 6,627 (up 3.2%), and Gipuzkoa had 4,554 (up 3%). This upward trend is promising, especially given the long-standing decline in birth rates over the past decade.
According to the annual statistics published by Eustat, of the total births, 6,827 were boys and 6,517 were girls. Notably, every month in the previous year saw an increase in births, with the exception of May and July, which experienced declines of 1.5% and 4.8%, respectively. December stood out with an impressive 10.2% increase, highlighting seasonal variations in birth rates.
Demographic Insights: Births Among Foreign Mothers
A remarkable 26.7% of mothers were foreign nationals, a figure nearly identical to that of 2024 (26.6%). The leading countries of origin for these women included Morocco (692), Colombia (454), Algeria (230), Pakistan (208), Nicaragua (196), Paraguay (189), Romania (182), Peru (142), and Venezuela (111), accounting for a total of 3,569 births. Interestingly, foreign mothers tended to give birth at a younger age compared to their Spanish counterparts, with 42.5% of foreign mothers under 30 years old, compared to just 13.3% of Spanish mothers.
In terms of age distribution, the largest group of births was among women aged 35 to 39, comprising 34% of the total, followed closely by mothers aged 30 to 34 at 33.7%. Mothers aged 25 to 29 accounted for 14.1%, while those aged 40 and above represented 11.2%. The average age of all mothers was 33.4 years, consistent with the previous year, though it rose to 34.3 years among Spanish mothers and stood at 30.9 years for foreign nationals. First-time mothers in 2025 had an average age of 32.4 years, with Spanish first-time mothers at 33.5 years and foreign first-time mothers at 28.7 years.
Additionally, the statistics revealed that just over half of births occurred outside of marriage, with 6,725 births (50.4% of the total), a slight decrease from 50.6% in 2024 but nearly ten percentage points higher than a decade ago when it was 41.6%. Regarding birth order, 6,809 births were first children (51% of the total), followed by 35.1% being second children and 13.9% third or subsequent births. The vast majority of deliveries, approximately 94%, took place in public hospitals, with 5.3% in private facilities and only 0.7% occurring at home. Among these births, there were 203 sets of twins and three sets of triplets, along with 709 premature births. The demographic landscape in Euskadi is evolving, and these statistics paint a picture of a society in transition, navigating the complexities of immigration and changing social dynamics.
As reported by nortexpres.com.
