In 2023, 63,030 births were registered in Flanders, 656 fewer than the previous year. The birth rate in the north of the country is at its lowest level in 20 years, with a 1% decrease compared to 2022, according to statistics released on Friday by the Opgroeien agency.
The birth rate is declining in all Flemish provinces, except Antwerp, where it slightly increased (+0.5%). Limburg saw the steepest decline in the number of births (-2.2%), followed by East Flanders and Flemish Brabant (-1.8%). In West Flanders, the birth rate dropped by 1.1%.
The birth rate has been following a downward trend in the Flemish Region since 2011, except in 2021 when an increase of 4.6% was recorded. This decline is not due to changes in the composition of the population of women aged 20 to 40 but is explained by the fact that women had fewer children last year than in 2022, particularly those aged 25 to 35.
Lastly, Flanders reported a total of 1,832,692 children and adolescents in the region last year.
