Belgium: Just Half of the Babies Born in 2020 Were To Belgian-Origin Mothers

According to data from the Belgian statistics agency Statbel, just half of the babies born in the country in 2020 were born to women of Belgian origin and Belgian nationality.

The statistical office stated that 23 per cent of the newborns in 2020 were born to a Belgian citizen mother born overseas and that another 25 per cent were born to those who had neither been born in Belgium nor had acquired Belgian nationality, leaving just 53 per cent of babies born to Belgian-origin women.

The fertility rate among Belgians is also reportedly significantly lower than foreign mothers, according to the Statbel figures, which place native Belgian women at a birthrate of 1.38 children per woman, while Belgian nationals of foreign origin stood at 1.54 children per woman, broadcaster RTBF reports.

The birthrate for foreign women born overseas and living in Belgium without Belgian nationality stands much higher at 2.05 children per woman, close to the replacement rate of 2.1 children per woman.

{snip} Foreign women account for 16.5 per cent of all women of childbearing age but accounted for around a quarter of all births in 2020.

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