Dutch fertility rate falls to record low as fewer women choose to have children

Fewer women in the Netherlands are choosing to have children, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported on Wednesday with the fertility rate - the number of children born per woman during her fertility period. Fewer children are born per woman, but the number of children per mother remains the same. So, more women remain childless.

The Netherlands' fertility rate has been steadily declining since 2010 and has now reached a record low of 1.49 children per woman. The decline in the number of women having children is strongest among young women with a low level of education. The fertility rate also fell among women with higher education levels, but less sharply.

CBS thinks the strong decline among women with a low education level may be due to their weaker socioeconomic position. They may decide against having children because they can’t afford it. The decline in this group is also more pronounced because, on average, they become mothers at a younger age than women with higher education.

The statistics office stressed that there is no one apparent reason for the falling fertility rate in the Netherlands. “It appears to be an interplay of different patterns, in which education level is one of the factors,” CBS said. It added that the declining fertility rate is not unique to the Netherlands - most European countries show similar developments.

The fertility rate is a strong indicator of how a country’s population will develop. A country needs a fertility rate of 2.1 to maintain a stable population. A too-low fertility rate will result in a future with too few working residents compared to a large group of senior citizens in the population. A fertility rate above 2.1 increases a country’s population and decreases its average age.

Fertility rate is not the only factor in population development. Migration also plays a significant role. This study by CBS also focused only on women born in the Netherlands.