Births Rise in Spain for First Time in Over a Decade

The number of babies born in Spain rose slightly for the first time in more than a decade in 2025, official data showed Wednesday, a boost for a country facing one of Europe's most serious demographic crises.

Spain recorded 321,164 births last year, a rise of 3,159 or around one percent over 2024, according to preliminary figures from national statistics institute INE.

It is the first time that the yearly number of births has increased since 2014.

But the number of deaths in 2025 rose 2.5 percent over the previous year to 446,982, leading to a natural population decline of 122,167.

Spain has recorded a natural population decline -- more deaths than births -- each year since 2017.

Countries all over the world are facing population crises with births below figures needed to sustain current populations, leaving older people dependent on a shrinking working-age population.

With Spain facing an ageing population and low birth rate, the country has pursued an open immigration policy in recent years, in contrast to its peers in the West.

- AFP