During 2023, there were 320,656 births in Spain, representing a decline of 2.6% compared to the previous year (8,595 fewer births).
The number of births therefore continues the downward trend of the last decade, which was interrupted only in 2014. Since 2013, the number of births has fallen by 24.7%.
Of the 320,656 births that took place in Spain, 78,330 were to a foreign mother, accounting for 24.4% of the total (compared with 23.0% in 2022).
If we look at the country of birth, there were 100,438 births to mothers born abroad, which accounted for 31.3% of the total (compared with 29.5% in 2022).
The short-term fertility indicator (or average number of children per woman) stood at 1.12 in 2023, four hundredths of a percentage point lower than in 2022.
By nationality, the average number of children per woman decreased by three hundredths among Spanish mothers (to 1.09) and by seven hundredths among foreign mothers (to 1.28).
The average maternity age was 32.6 years in 2023. In recent years, the decline in the number of births has been accompanied by a delay in the maternity age.
By nationality, the average age of motherhood did not change, and remained at 33.1 years for Spanish mothers and 30.5 years for foreign mothers.
Another indicator that reflects the delay in motherhood is the number of births to mothers aged 40 or over, which has grown by 19.1% in the last 10 years. In relative terms, while in 2013 6.8% of births were to mothers aged 40 or older, in 2023 that percentage increased to 10.8%.
In 2023, 436,124 persons died in Spain, 6.1% fewer than the previous year. By age, a decrease in deaths was observed of people in the 85 to 89 age group (from 11.0%, in comparison with 2022), and both among men (from 12.1%) and among women (from 10.1%).
The infant mortality rate increased by three hundredths and stood at 2.63 infant deaths per 1,000 live births.
Life expectancy at birth increased by almost seven tenths in 2023 to 83.77 years. By sex, male life expectancy rose 0.75 years, to 81.11, and women's rose 0.60 years, to 86.34.
According to current mortality conditions, a person reaching 65 years of age in 2023 could expect to live an average of 19.65 years more for men and 23.49 years more for women.
Note: Life expectancy is the average age that persons of a generation could live, subject, at every age, to the mortality rate observed in the period analysed.
The natural change of the resident population in Spain (that is, the difference between births to mothers residing in Spain and deaths of residents in the country), was negative at -113,590 people in 2023.
In 2023, a total of 172,430 marriages were registered, 3.7% fewer than in 2022. The gross marriage rate decreased by 0.2 points to 3.5 marriages per 1,000 inhabitants.
3.9% of the total marriages registered in 2023 were of same-sex couples (6,772 marriages). Of them, 53.3% were women, and 46.7% were men.
For its part, the average age at marriage increased by three tenths in 2023, with this increase being two tenths among men and three tenths among women. It stood at 39.6 years for men and 36.9 years for women.
Vital Statistics quantify the number of births, deaths and marriages taking place within Spanish territory. Its main sources of information are the birth, death and marriage bulletins that are sent by the heads of the Civil Registries to the provincial delegations of the INE, as well as the recording files of the registry entries received by the Ministry of Justice relating to deaths, births and marriages.
This operation is prepared in collaboration with the statistical services of the Autonomous Communities, pursuant to the agreement signed with them for this purpose.
For more information, you can access the methodology and the standardised methodological report of births, deaths and marriages.
INE statistics are produced in accordance with the Code of Good Practice for European Statistics. More information on Quality at INE and the Code of Best Practices.
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