Recent demographic trends Jitka Rychtaříková Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Science Department of Demography and Geodemography Albertov 6, 128 43 Praha 2, Czech Republic tel.: 420 221 951 420 e-mail: rychta@natur.cuni.cz
Outline Recent fertility change and current fertility patterns New phenomena: low fertility, postponement, extramarital fertility Country classification based on current fertility patterns Mortality change Population ageing as primarily the outcome of fertility change Population prospects
In the past forty years the rate and character of fertility in Europe has changed considerably. The newly established model of fertility is historically unprecedented, as the small number of live births is insufficient to secure even simple demographic reproduction in the future.
Shift toward rare and late chilbearing Profound fertility decline has occurred in Northern and Western European societies since the mid 1960s, was over by the end of the 1980s in Southern Europe, and has emerged since the beginning of the 1990s in Eastern Europe. Late fertility starts being a common widely accepted pattern.
Variations in TFR over time in 30 European countries simple reproduction low fertility lowest low fertility
Two country groups in 2007: just below replacement level and very low fertility Total fertility rate 2,1 2,0 1,9 1,8 1,7 1,6 1,5 1,4 1,3 1,2 1,1 1,0 Lowest-low fertility Low fertility Slovakia Romania Poland Hungary Portugal Italy Lithuania Germany Malta Austria Slovenia Greece Spain Latvia Bulgaria Czech Republic Switzerland Cyprus Luxembourg Estonia Netherlands Belgium Finland Denmark Sweden United Kingdom Norway France Ireland Island
Low fertility trap: two critical tresholds Low fertility: TFR less than 1,5 Lowest low fertility: TFR less than 1,3 P. McDonald (2005): it is much more difficult for a country to raise fertility when the total fertility rate has fallen below the critical level of 1,5 children per woman. The situation becomes even more desperate when the lowest low fertility (below 1,3) is reached.
If we look back in history it is clear that the current European fertility patterns have little to do with previous demographic development 4,50 1960 1980 2007 4,00 Total fertility rate 3,50 3,00 2,50 2,00 1,50 1,00 Romania Poland Hungary Portugal Italy Lithuania Germany Malta Austria Slovenia Greece Spain Latvia Bulgaria Czech Republic Switzerland Cyprus Luxembourg Estonia Netherlands Belgium Finland Denmark Sweden United Kingdom Norway France Ireland Island
The correlation coefficient between total fertility and relative GDP (EU27=1) was 0,513 in 2007. This means that the richer the country within the EU, the more children it was possible to expect. 2,0 Total fertility rate and GDP (EU27 = 1) 1,5 1,0 0,5 0,0 Total fertility rate GDP (EU 27 = 1) Bulgaria Romania Poland Lithuania Latvia Hungary Slovakia Estonia Portugal Malta Czech Republic Greece Cyprus Slovenia Italy Spain France Germany Finland Belgium United Island Denmark Sweden Austria Netherlands Switzerland Ireland Norway Luxembourg
Fertility postponement a part of a postponement transition Factors behind Longer education Building a professional career Reliable contraception ART treatment solving also problems of postponed parenthood
Younger age does not more mean a higher fertility 30 Mean age at first childbirth in 2005 29 28 27 26 25 24 Bulgaria Romania Lithuania Latvia Estonia Slovakia Poland Iceland Czech Republic Hungary Austria Portugal Cyprus Belgium Ireland Norway Slovenia Finland Denmark Greece France Sweden Italy Netherlands Luxembourg Germany Spain Switzerland United Kingdom
Late parenthood (motherhood): miscellaneous impact on fertility levels North and West of Europe: a higher age at the first childbearing does not imply low fertility levels. East and South of Europe show a negative correlation between an increasing age of mothers and final low fertility levels, thus confirming a classical theory as regards the relationship between age at first childbirth and final fertility rate.
2006: Cumulative age-specific fertility rates; (country order according to TFR) 2,0 1,8-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35+ 1,6 1,4 1,2 1,0 0,8 0,6 0,4 0,2 0,0 Slovakia Lithuania Poland Slovenia Romania Italy Germany Czech Republic Hungary Spain Portugal Latvia Bulgaria Greece Austria Malta Switzerland Cyprus Estonia Belgium Luxembourg Netherlands Denmark United Kingdom Finland Sweden Norway Ireland France Iceland
Another new phenomenon Increase in extra-marital births Accelerating in last decades Reflecting cultural settings
Extra-marital births per 100 births: uneven increase over time 70 60 50 1960 1980 2006 40 30 20 10 0 Greece Cyprus Switzerland Italy Poland Malta Belgium Spain Slovakia Luxembourg Romania Lithuania Germany Portugal Ireland Czech Republic Hungary Netherlands Austria Finland Latvia United Kingdom Denmark Slovenia France Bulgaria Norway Sweden Estonia Iceland
Variations in share of extramarital births over time in 30 European countries
An increase of extra-marital births does not mean a rising cohabitation as an alternative to family legalized by marriage but more often means a lone motherhood Countries with low nonmarital fertility ratios (Italy, Spain, Belgium) tend to have also low overall childhood exposure to single parenting. Parental cohabitation accounts for much nonmarital fertility in Northern Europe. P.Heuveline, J.T. Timberlake, F.F.Furstenberg: Shifting childrearing to single mothers: Results from 17 Western countries, Population and Development Review, 29, 2003, 1
Three most imortant recent changes: fertility decline, increase in mean age at first childbirth, increase in the share of extra-marital births A country classification according to current levels of TFR, mean age at first chilbearing, and the percentage of extramarital births. Three country groups and one outlier can be delimited.
Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia TFR 1,32 MAB1 Extramar 25,97 36,18 Belgium, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malta, Spain, Switzerland Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom 1,40 28,56 16,92 1,80 28,50 42,08 Iceland 2,05 26,29 65,72 Total 1,51 27,43 33,80
Cluster characteristics show puzzled fertility patterns 1. Group (Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia) shows the lowest low fertility level, the youngest age at first childbearing, and medium frequency of extramarital births. 2. Group (Belgium, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Italy, Malta, Spain, Switzerland) displays low fertility, the oldest age at first childbearing, and low proportion of extramarital births. 3. Group (Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom), experiences the highest fertility, high age at first childbirth, and a high share of nonmarital births. Might this group represent forerunners of a suitable/sustainable fertility? Traditional demographic correlations are violated: young age and low frequency of extra-marital births do no more correlate with high fertility levels!
Cohort fertility of women born in 1980: Possible future prospects? Fertility rates for older ages estimated by using the rates observed for previous generations 2,1 2,0 simple reproduction CFR (completed fertility rate: birth cohort 1980) 1,9 1,8 1,7 1,6 1,5 low fertility 1,4 1,3 lowest low fertility 1,2 1,1 1,0 1,28 1,31 1,31 1,31 1,32 1,33 1,33 1,36 1,37 1,37 1,37 1,39 1,39 1,43 Slovenia 1,43 Italy 1,44 Poland 1,47 Slovakia 1,57 Spain 1,60 Czech Republic 1,69 Greece 1,72 Hungary 1,77 Bulgaria 1,80 Germany 1,81 Latvia 1,85 Lithuania 1,86 1,95 1,95 2,09 Romania Austria Portugal Switzerland Cyprus Estonia Belgium Luxembourg Netherlands Sweden United Kingdom Finland Denmark Norway France Ireland Iceland
Current fertility and future prospects for Europe Is the expected TFR increase realistic in low fertility countries? 2,2 2,0 TFR 2007 TFR 2060 1,8 1,6 1,4 1,2 Slovakia Poland Lithuania Romania Slovenia Germany Italy Czech Republic Hungary Latvia Portugal Bulgaria Spain Greece Austria Malta Switzerland Cyprus Estonia Belgium Luxembourg Netherlands Denmark Finland United Kingdom Sweden Ireland Norway France Sorted according to 2060 Europop2008: Convergence scenario (convergence year 2150)
Mortality change and its impact Decrease at older age in all countries Population 65+: pension system Population 80+: health care system
Survival in EU27+(2): 2005 Life expectancy at age 65 24 22 Males Females 20 18 16 14 12 10 Latvia Lithuania Bulgaria Estonia Slovakia Hungary Romania Poland Czech Republic Slovenia Portugal Denmark Malta Netherlands Belgium Luxembourg Italy Cyprus Finland Ireland Germany Austria United Kingdom Greece Spain Sweden France
Population aging (increase in the proportion of people age 65+ or 60+) is the most challenging phenomenon in the 21 st century. It is the outcome of the demographic transition from high to low levels of fertility and mortality. The role of international migration in this process has been less important than that of fertility and mortality. The older population itself is aging and the oldest-old (age 80+) represent the fastest growing age group. Population aging is a historically unprecedented and likely irreversible phenomenon. Population aging has implications on family composition and living arrangements, intergenerational transfers, pension system, health care system, etc.
There is no correlation in the share of 65+ between 2009 and 2060 % age 65+ 2009 2060 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Luxembourg United Kingdom Denmark Ireland Norway France Cyprus Belgium Sweden Netherlands Finland Switzerland Austria Estonia Portugal Greece Hungary Spain Malta Germany Italy Czech Republic Slovenia Bulgaria Latvia Lithuania Romania Slovakia Poland Sorted according to 2060 r = + 0,134
Fertility is the key factor as regards the future population ageing Proportion of population aged 65 and over in 2050 is correlated with (based on EU27 countries): Total fertility rate (2005) -0,591** Population 65+ (2005) 0,454* Male life expectancy at 65 (2004) -0,004 Female life expectancy at 65 (2004) -0,043 ** Correlation is significant at the 0,01 level (2- tailed) * Correlation is significant at the 0,05 level (2-tailed)
Very low fertility levels if maintained will lead to rapid population loss and an extreme form of population ageing in individual countries. The population is projected to become older in all EU member states, Norway and Switzerland. The share of people age 65+ is currently between 12% (Cyprus) and 20% (Germany, Italy). However, the figure will at least double in all EU 27+2 countries. In 2060, the share of people age 65+ is expected to reach a minimum of 24% (Luxembourg) and a maximum of 36% (Poland). The oldest populations in 2060 will be: Poland (36.2), Slovakia (36.1), Romania (35.0), Lithuania (34.7), Latvia (34.4), Bulgaria (34.2). The youngest in 2060: Luxembourg (23.6), United Kingdom (24.7), Denmark (25.0)
The oldest and the poorest Old-age dependency ratio (population at age of: 65+/20-64*100) Poland Slovakia Lithuania Romania Latvia Bulgaria Slovenia Czech Republic Spain Italy Malta Germany Hungary Greece Estonia Portugal Austria Finland Switzerland Netherlands Sweden Belgium France Cyprus Norway Ireland Denmark United Kingdom Luxembourg Sorted according to 2060 2060 2009 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Living more and reproducing less: conditions in 2007-2008 Lower OADR Higher OADR Factor 1 Factor 2 Total fertility rate 0,762 0,021 Male life expectancy at birth 0,881 0,092 Old-age dependency ratio 0,019 0,986 Crude rate of population change 0,816-0,478 Explained variability 51% 30% Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis Lower fertility, shorter survival, Higher fertility, longer survival, negative population change positive population change
Demographic continuum in 2060 for EU27+Norway+Switzerland Factor scores 1,5 2060 1,0 0,5 0,0-0,5-1,0 Lithuania Slovakia Latvia Poland Romania Bulgaria Slovenia Hungary Czech Republic Estonia Germany Malta Spain Italy Greece Portugal Austria Switzerland Netherlands Finland Belgium Cyprus Denmark Sweden France Luxembourg United Kingdom Norway Ireland -1,5 Lower fertility, shorter survival, negative population change, and high OADR Factor Total fertility rate 0,844 Male life expectancy at birth 0,807 Old-age dependency ratio -0,970 Crude rate of population change 0,969 Explained variability 81,10% Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis Higher fertility, longer survival, positive population change, and lower OADR
Rethinking age and aging by Warren Sanderson and Sergei Scherbov, Population Bulletin, Vol.63, No.4, 2008 With advances in health and life expectancy, the meaning of the number of years lived has changed. Prospective age assigns ages to people on the basis of their remaining life expectancies in a reference year, not on the number of years that they have already lived.
Two turning points for EU27: 2015 and 2035 2015: natural increase will convert in natural decrease 2035: start of the population decline 1,8 Change in total population over time 1,6 2060/2009 1,4 2035/2009 1,2 1,0 0,8 Bulgaria Latvia Lithuania Romania Poland Slovakia 2015/2009 Estonia Germany Slovenia Hungary Czech Republic Malta Greece Italy Netherlands Finland Portugal Denmark Austria France Spain Belgium Sweden Switzerland United Kingdom Norway Luxembourg Ireland Cyprus 0,6
Misfortunate Eastern and Central Europe seems to reemerge Between 2009 and 2015 (or 2035 or 2060), the largest population decline is expected in Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, and Romania. The profound decrease will also be experienced by populations in Central Europe (Poland, Slovakia, Germany, Hungary, and the Czech Republic). The previously high mortality in Eastern and Central Europe (with the exception of West Germany) will thus face a new threat of depopulation, this time primarily due to a long-term low or lowest low fertility.
EU Old and New Members: keep being divided The most substantial percentage decrease will be experienced by the populations in the fresh newcomers (Bulgaria, Romania), then Baltic States (Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania), followed by Central Europe (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary)
Can fertility be enhanced? The role of family policy The role of ART
Two scenarios for the future numbers of children conceived with ART Projected numbers of ART infants 50 000 40 000 30 000 20 000 Assumptions: 2025 in each country 5% ART infants 2025 2050 2050 in each country 7% ART infants 10 000 0 Malta Luxembourg Cyprus Estonia Slovenia Latvia Lithuania Bulgaria Slovakia Ireland Finland Denmark Austria Czech Republic Hungary Greece Portugal Sweden Belgium Romania Netherlands Spain Poland Italy Germany United Kingdom France
Proposal I Building a society for all ages Enabling to have family at any age Reconciliation of work/education and family Freedom of choice One standard life pattern should be avoided education-career-children
Proposal II Access to ART treatment for people in need and at any age Giving priority to policies slowing fertility ageing
Conclusions Europe will remain the world s oldest region into the 21 st century. In the process of population aging, fertility was and still remains the primary important driver while mortality starts gaining increased importance. Population aging may be seen as a human success story the triumph of public health, medical advancements, and economic development. (Global Aging : The challenge of success by K.Kinsella and D.R. Phillips, Population Bulletin, Vol.60, No.1, 2005) However, in the future, countries of former Eastern Europe will accumulate all of the disadvantages: Being the oldest, experiencing the lowest fertility, shorter life expectancy, and having the lowest GDP.
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