Athens:Greece is projected to record fewer than 1.4 million births between 2027 and 2046, a significant decrease from 1.8 million in the previous two decades. This projection was reported by Tovima newspaper, which cited demographic research.

According to Anadolu Agency – English, the decline in births assumes no positive net migration and reflects a decrease in fertility rates alongside a shrinking population of women of childbearing age. The study was conducted by Byron Kotzamanis, a demography professor at the University of Thessaly and director of the Institute of Demographic Research and Studies.

Annual births in Greece are expected to total around 65,000 by 2026, a stark contrast to the average of approximately 150,000 births per year between 1951 and 1980. The research projects fewer than 700,000 births between 2021 and 2030, compared with 920,000 in the previous decade, representing a decline of roughly 25%.

The study found that women born in 1930 had an average of nearly 2.3 children, whereas those born in 1985 had fewer than 1.5 children. Kotzamanis attributes part of Greece's fertility gap with Western and Northern European countries to differences in family support, gender equality, and conditions for balancing employment with parenthood.

Despite a possible slowdown in some demographic pressures, births are expected to continue declining. Kotzamanis warned that the demographic outlook beyond 2046 could worsen as smaller generations reach childbearing age, noting that births fell by 45% between 2009 and 2026, reducing the size of future generations of potential parents.