Ankara:Births have fallen by more than half in six mainland Greek regions between 2009 and 2024.

According to Anadolu Agency, a demographic study published by the Greek newspaper To Vima highlights this significant decline, with nationwide births decreasing by approximately 42% from around 117,440 in 2009 to 68,310 in 2024.

The six regions experiencing more than a 50% drop in birth rates are Thesprotia, Grevena, Phthiotis, Kozani, Evrytania, and Florina. The study, conducted by demographer Byron Kotzamanis at the Institute for Demographic Research and Studies, also reveals a long-term decline in births over more than forty years.

Annual births have decreased from an average of about 148,000 in 1979-80 to roughly 67,000 in 2024-25, with the average age of women giving birth increasing from 26.2 to 32.2 years. The study notes a general decline in births since the late 1970s, with a brief rise between 2003 and 2009 attributed mostly to immigration after 1990.

Successive generations of women are having fewer children, with those born in the late 1950s averaging two children compared to fewer than 1.5 among those born around 1985. Consequently, the total fertility rate has dropped from 2.2 children per woman in 1979-80 to 1.24 in 2024-25.

The decline in birth rates is less severe on some islands, with six island regional units experiencing decreases of less than 30% between 2009 and 2024. The Cyclades and Zakynthos recorded declines of less than 15%. The study also points out significant differences in the balance between births and deaths across Greece.

In 2024, only five of Greece's 74 regional units had more births than deaths, namely Thira, Mykonos, Kos, Naxos, and Rethymno. Conversely, regions like Serres, Evrytania, and Grevena reported at least 3.5 deaths for every birth.