Births: key figures
Explanation of symbols
Table explanation
Key figures on fertility, live and stillborn children and multiple births among inhabitants of The Netherlands.
Available selections:
- Live born children by sex;
- Live born children by age of the mother (31 December), in groups;
- Live born children by birth order from the mother;
- Live born children by marital status of the mother;
- Live born children by country of birth of the mother and origin country of the mother;
- Stillborn children by duration of pregnancy;
- Births: single and multiple;
- Average number of children per female;
- Average number of children per male;
- Average age of the mother at childbirth by birth order from the mother;
- Average age of the father at childbirth by birth order from the mother;
- Net replacement factor.
CBS is in transition towards a new classification of the population by origin. Greater emphasis is now placed on where a person was born, aside from where that person’s parents were born. The term ‘migration background’ is no longer used in this regard. The main categories western/non-western are being replaced by categories based on continents and a few countries that share a specific migration history with the Netherlands. The new classification is being implemented gradually in tables and publications on population by origin.
Data available from: 1950
Most of the data is available as of 1950 with the exception of the live born children by country of birth of the mother and origin country of the mother (from 2021, previous periods will be added at a later time), stillborn children by duration of pregnancy (24+) (from 1991), average number of children per male (from 1996) and the average age of the father at childbirth (from 1996).
Status of the figures:
The 2023 figures on stillbirths and (multiple) births are provisional, the other figures in the table are final.
Changes per 17 December 2024:
Figures of 2023 have been added.
The provisional figures on the number of live births and stillbirths for 2023 do not include children who were born at a gestational age that is unknown. These cases were included in the final figures for previous years. However, the provisional figures show a relatively larger number of children born at an unknown gestational age. Based on an internal analysis for 2022, it appears that in the majority of these cases, the child was born at less than 24 weeks. To ensure that the provisional 2023 figures do not overestimate the number of stillborn children born at a gestational age of over 24 weeks, children born at an unknown gestational age have now been excluded.
When will new figures be published?
Final 2023 figures on the number of stillbirths and the number of births are expected to be added to the table in de third quarter of 2025.
In the third quarter of 2025 final figures of 2024 will be published in this publication.
Description topics
- Live born children
- Live born child:
A baby showing some sign of life after birth, regardless of the duration of pregnancy.
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 origin of the mother, Statistics Netherlands selects one of the mothers at random.
Lesbian parenthood occurs in less than 0.2% of all births.- Total live born children
- Crude birth rate
- Live born children per thousand of the average number of inhabitants.
- General Fertility Rate
- The number of live born babies per thousand of the average number of women aged 15 to 50 in the period of observation.
Age of the mother (on 31 December)
The number of whole years that have passed between the mother's date of birth and 31 December of the year of birth of her child.
- Stillborn children by duration of pre...
- Stillborn children by duration of pregnancy.
Stillborn child:
Baby born after a pregnancy lasting at least 24 weeks (prior to 1 July 1991 this was 28 weeks) who showed no sign of life after birth such as breathing, activity of the heart or muscles.
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 origin of the mother, Statistics Netherlands selects one of the mothers at random.
Lesbian parenthood occurs in less than 0.2% of all births.- Stillborn children (24+), ratio
- Stillborn children per thousand born children (live born and stillborn).
Stillborn child:
Baby born after a pregnancy lasting at least 24 weeks who showed no sign of life after birth such as breathing, activity of the heart or muscles.
Live born child:
A baby showing some sign of life after birth, regardless of the duration of pregnancy.
- Stillborn children (28+), ratio
- Stillborn children per thousand live born children (live born and stillborn).
Stillborn child:
Baby born after a pregnancy lasting at least 28 weeks who showed no sign of life after birth such as breathing, activity of the heart or muscles.
Live born child:
A baby showing some sign of life after birth, regardless of the duration of pregnancy.
- Confinements: single and multiple
- Deliveries after a pregnancy lasting at least 28 weeks irrespective of viability of child.
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 origin of the mother, Statistics Netherlands selects one of the mothers at random.
Lesbian parenthood occurs in less than 0.2% of all births.- Single confinements
- Deliveries of one child.
- Multiple confinements
- Deliveries of two or more children out of the same pregnancy.
- Total multiple confinements
- Average number of children per female
- This figure can be interpreted as the average number of children a woman would have if the age-specific fertility rates in a given year were to apply throughout her life.
Available from 1996.
Age specific fertility rate:
The number of live-born children born by women of a particular age group in a given period related to the average number of women in that age group and period.
Age mother:
The number of whole years that have passed between the mother's date of birth and 31 December of the year of birth of her child.- Average number of children per female
- Average number of children per male
- This figure can be interpreted as the average number of children a man would have if the age-specific fertility rates in a given year were to apply throughout his life.
Available from 1996.
Age specific fertility rate:
The number of live-born children born by men of a particular age group in a given period related to the average number of men in that age group and period.
Ages of unknown fathers are estimates.
Age father:
The number of whole years that have passed between the father's date of birth and 31 December of the year of birth of his child.
Ages of unknown fathers are estimates.- Average number of children per male
- This figure can be interpreted as the average number of children a man would have if the age-specific fertility rates in a given year were to apply throughout his life.
- Average age of the mother
- Average age of the mother at childbirth.
Average age:
The arithmetic mean of all ages.
Age mother:
The number of whole years that have passed between the mother's date of birth and 31 December of the year of birth of her child.- Total, all children
- Average age of the mother at childbirth, all live born children.
Live born child:
A baby showing some sign of life after birth, regardless of the duration of pregnancy.
- At 1st birth
- Average age of the mother at childbirth, first live born children from the mother.
Live born child:
A baby showing some sign of life after birth, regardless of the duration of pregnancy.
- Average age of the father
- Average age of the father at childbirth.
Available from 1996.
Average age:
The arithmetic mean of all ages.
Ages of unknown fathers are estimates.
Age father:
The number of whole years that have passed between the father's date of birth and 31 December of the year of birth of his child.
Ages of unknown fathers are estimates.- Total, all children
- Average age of the father at childbirth for all live born children.
Live born child:
A baby showing some sign of life after birth, regardless of the duration of pregnancy.
- At 1st birth from the mother
- Average age of the father at childbirth for all live born first children from the mother.
Live born child:
A baby showing some sign of life after birth, regardless of the duration of pregnancy.
- Net reproduction rate
- The average number of daughters a group of women would give birth to, if certain age-specific fertility and mortality figures were to apply.
The net reproduction rate (NRR) shows whether the present levels of fertility and mortality will lead to an increasing (NRR > 1), a constant (NRR = 1) or a decreasing (NRR < 1) population size.
Age mother (on 31 December)
The number of whole years that have passed between the mother's date of birth and 31 December of the year of birth of her child.