Fewer and fewer babies are being born in the Netherlands and in many other countries around the world. People still want children, but rising costs, insecure incomes and uncertainty about the future are making parenthood harder to achieve. This trend is changing family life and could have lasting social and economic effects.
Birth rates in the Netherlands
Preliminary figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS) show that there were 165,404 live births in 2024. That is slightly more than in 2023, but it is still part of a downward trend that has continued since 2022. Dutch women had an average of 1.43 children in 2024, compared to 1.68 in 2014 and 1.80 in 2010. The 2024 rate is the lowest fertility rate in the country since records began in 1950.
The Netherlands Youth Institute reports that first-time mothers were, on average, 30.4 years old in 2024. In 1970 the average was 24.3 years and in 2000 it was 29.1 years. Women under 30 are increasingly delayingmotherhood, while those over 30 are slightly more likely to start a family. Fathers are on average about two and a half years older than mothers when their first child is born.
Financial insecurity the number one factor
Money is now the most important factor in deciding to have a first child. Daniel van Wijk, researcher at the Dutch Demographic Institute, notes that in the Netherlands people in the highest income group are now several times more likely to become parents than those in the lowest income brackets. This gap has been growing since 2008 and is especially large for first-time parents.
A global survey by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) supports this conclusion. Nearly 40 percent of respondents said financial insecurity affects their decision to start a family. Many people want more children than they ultimately have, but for those in unstable jobs or expensive housing markets, the costs are simply too high.
Other causes of the decline
Money is not the only factor. Van Wijk explains that young adult incomes in the Netherlands have grown by only three percent in the past decade after inflation, while the costs of raising children have risen sharply. This includes the cost of childcare and suitable family housing.
Job security matters as well. More women now have flexible contracts, which are linked to lower chances of having children. Lower education levels among women are also connected to sharper drops in fertility, likely because they lead to lower incomes and thus to more barriers in both the labour market and the housing market.
A worldwide trend
This is not just a Dutch issue. Countries such as Italy, Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom are also seeing fewer births. In fact, the UNFPA states that the world is experiencing an unprecedented fall in birth numbers. It is less about people deciding they do not want children and more about them feeling unable to take that step because of uncertain futures.
According to national broadcaster NOS, global factors include the so-called child penalty, which means women’s earnings decline after the birth of their first child, a lack of paid paternity leave, expensive childcare, and limited access to reproductive health care. Social changes also contribute, including more people choosing to remain single or deciding against children due to concerns about climate change.
Possible solutions
Experts agree that the decline cannot be reversed by convincing people to want children: it is about making it possible for them to follow through on that wish. One-off incentives such as baby bonuses have shown little long-term effect.
More effective solutions should focus on long-term support. These include expanding affordable childcare, improving parental leave for both mothers and fathers, increasing access to family-friendly housing, and strengthening the financial position of young adults. Evidence from other countries shows that higher incomes, especially for lower earners, can boost birth rates. Reducing the cost of parenthood through better childcare and workplace protections can also help. The UNFPA calls for policies that include support for single parents and LGBTQ+ families, so that the choice to have children is open to everyone. Without such action, the decline in births is likely to continue and shape the future of societies worldwide.
Written by Bárbara Luque Alanís