Birth; age mother (on 31-12), birth order and fertility rates 1950-2014

Table explanation

Description topics

Live born children

Live born children by marital status of the mother and birth order from the mother.

Live born child:
A baby showing some sign of life after birth, regardless of the duration of pregnancy.

Birth order from the mother (live born children):
The position of the child in the ranking of live born children from a mother.

Marital status:
Legal status involving someone's rights and competences as determined by legal marriage and registered partnership.

Legal marriage:
Legal, formally sanctioned living arrangement between two people. Since 1 April 2001, it is legally possible for people in the Netherlands to marry a person of the same sex.

Lesbian parenthood
The law on lesbian parenthood came into effect on 1 April 2014. From April 2014 onwards the female partner of the biological mother may become the legal parent of the child without a legal adoption procedure. The same data for both mothers are available in the municipal population register. Statistics Netherlands does not have information about which of the mothers is the biological mother. To obtain data about, for example, the age, number of children and ethnic background of the mother, Statistics Netherland selects one of the mothers at random.


Partnership registration:
A marriage-like relationship recorded at the registry office. Partnership registration is open to same-sex and different-sex couples.

Total live born children

Total live born children by birth order from the mother.

Total live born children

First child

Live born first children to the mother.

Second child

Live born second children to the mother.

Third child

Live born third children to the mother.

Fourth or following children

Live born fourth or following children to the mother.

Marital live born children

Marital born child:
A child where the mother is married at the time of birth, or a child from a widow whose male or female spouse passed away less than 306 days before the birth.

Break in series
From 2010 onwards a small shift has occurred between a number of marital statuses (fewer never married and more married, divorced and widowed respectively). Because information on some marital statuses was lacking for the period 1998 to 2010 in data used by Statistics Netherlands, 'divorced after partnership' and 'widowed after partnership' were not included in these statistics for this period. For these statistics, the marital status before the partnership was used instead, which was mostly 'never married'. From 2010 all marital statuses are available.

Married:
From 2010: legally married and partnership.
1998 to 2010: legally married.
Because information was lacking on some marital statuses in data in the period 1998 to 2010 used by Statistics Netherlands, partnerships were not included in this period.
Until 1998: legally married.

Widowed:
From 2010: widowed after a legal marriage and widowed after a partnership.
From 1998 to 2010: widowed after a legal marriage.
Because information was lacking on some marital statuses in the period 1998 to 2010 in data used by Statistics Netherlands, partnerships were not included in this period. For these statistics, this results in data including 'partnership after widowed'. For 'widowed after partnership' the marital status before the partnership was used, which was mostly unmarried.
Until 1998 widowed after a legal marriage.

Divorced:
From 2010: divorced after legal marriage and divorced after partnership.
1998 to 2010: divorced after legal marriage.
Because information was lacking on some marital statuses in data in the period 1998 tot 2010 used by Statistics Netherlands, partnerships were not included in this period. For these statistics, this results in data including 'partnership after divorced'. For 'divorced after partnership' the marital status before the partnership was used, which was mostly unmarried.
Until 1998: divorced after legal marriage.

Legally married:
Marital status resulting from having married legally. Including judicial separations which are included in the catagory married.

Partnership:
Marital status resulting from entering into a registered partnership.

Widowed after a legal marriage:
Marital status resulting from death ending a legal marriage.

Widowed after partnership:
Marital status resulting from death ending a registered partnership.

Divorced after a legal marriage:
Marital status resulting from ending a legal marriage by divorce.
Excluding judicial separations which are included in the catagory married.

Divorced after partnership:
Marital status resulting from ending a registered partnership other than by the death of the partner.

Marriage (legal):
Legal, formally sanctioned living arrangement between two people.
Since 1 April 2001, it is legally possible for people in the Netherlands to marry a person of the same sex.

Registered partnership:
A marriage-like relationship between two people of the opposite or same sex, registered at the Register of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
Registered partnership was introduced in The Netherlands on 1 January 1998.

Total marital live born children

First child

Marital live born first children to the mother.

Second child

Marital live born second children to the mother.

Third child

Marital live born third children to the mother.

Fourth or following children

Marital live born fourth or following children to the mother.

Non-marital live born children

Non marital born child:
A child where the mother is never married, divorced or widowed at the moment of birth. If the mother was married and the marriage was dissolved by the death of her husband less than 306 days before she gave birth, the birth is considered within marriage.

Break in series
From 2010 onwards a small shift has occurred between a number of marital statuses (fewer never married and more married, divorced and widowed respectively). Because information on some marital statuses was lacking for the period 1998 to 2010 in data used by Statistics Netherlands, 'divorced after partnership' and 'widowed after partnership' were not included in these statistics for this period. For these statistics, the marital status before the partnership was used instead, which was mostly 'never married'. From 2010 all marital statuses are available.

Never married:
From 2010: marital status indicating that someone was never married or never in a registered partnership.
1998 to 2010: marital status indicating that someone was never married.
Because information was lacking on some marital statuses in the period 1998 to 2010 in data used by Statistics Netherlands, partnerships were not included in this period. For these statistics, this results in data including 'partnership after never married'. For 'widowed after partnership' and 'divorced after partnership' the marital status before the partnership was used, wich was mostly unmarried.
Until 1998: marital status indicating that someone was never married.

Widowed:
From 2010: widowed after a legal marriage and widowed after a partnership.
From 1998 to 2010: widowed after a legal marriage.
Because information was lacking on some marital statuses in the period 1998 to 2010 in data used by Statistics Netherlands, partnerships were not included in this period. For these statistics, this results in data including 'partnership after widowed'. For 'widowed after partnership' the marital status before the partnership was used, wich was mostly unmarried.
Until 1998 widowed after a legal marriage.

Divorced:
From 2010: divorced after legal marriage and divorced after partnership.
1998 to 2010: divorced after legal marriage.
Because information was lacking on some marital statuses in data in the period 1998 tot 2010 used by Statistics Netherlands, partnerships were not included in this period. For these statistics, this results in data including 'partnership after divorced'. For 'divorced after partnership' the marital status before the partnership was used, wich was mostly unmarried.
Until 1998: divorced after legal marriage.

Widowed after a legal marriage:
Marital status resulting from death ending a legal marriage.

Widowed after partnership:
Marital status resulting from death ending a registered partnership.

Divorced after a legal marriage:
Marital status resulting from ending a legal marriage by divorce.
Excluding judicial separations which are included in the catagory married.

Divorced after partnership:
Marital status resulting from ending a registered partnership other than by the death of the partner.

Marriage (legal):
Legal, formally sanctioned living arrangement between two people.
Since 1 April 2001, it is legally possible for people in the Netherlands to marry a person of the same sex.

Registered partnership:
A marriage-like relationship between two people of the opposite or same sex, registered at the Register of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
Registered partnership was introduced in The Netherlands on 1 January 1998.

Total non-marital live born children

First child

Non-marital live born first children to the mother.

Second child

Non-marital live born second children to the mother.

Third child

Non-marital live born third children to the mother.

Fourth or following children

Non-marital live born fourth or following children to the mother.

Live born children, rates

Live born children by birth order from the mother per 1,000 of the average female population in the selected agegroup.

Live born child:
A baby showing some sign of life after birth, regardless of the duration of pregnancy.

Birth order from the mother:
The position of the child in the ranking of live born children from a mother.

Total live born children

Total number of live born children per 1,000 females in the selected agegroup.

First child

Live born first children per 1,000 females in the selected agegroup.

Second child

Live born second children per 1,000 females in the selected agegroup.

Third child

Live born third children per 1,000 females in the selected agegroup.

Fourth or following children

Live born fourth or following children per 1,000 females in the selected agegroup.