©Marco D'Abramo via Unsplash
The Maghreb countries suffer from a historically low birth rate. That's according to a French demographic study published on Wednesday.
The Maghreb is made up of Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco, and a French study by the National Institute for Demographic Studies (Ined) examined the state of reproduction there. A first striking find: Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia are simultaneously recording a very rapid decline in their fertility rates.
Difference fertility rate by country
The fertility rate fell across the three Maghreb countries from seven to eight children per woman in the 1970s to half that in the early 1990s. In Morocco, the fertility rate fell to an all-time low of 1.97 children per woman by 2024. In Tunisia, that rate would have fallen to 1.53 by 2024, while according to the study, in Algeria there were still 2.61 children born per woman that year.
The trend observed in the Maghreb can also be seen in Europe. Only in Europe, in several cases, migration is keeping population numbers up. "In contrast to many European countries, where migration flows help to offset the natural balance, the Maghreb countries have traditionally been characterized by a negative migration balance," the study's authors echo. In Italy, for example, migration firmly offset the declining birth rate.
Migration offsets trend in Europe
Birth rates are also falling in many European countries. Italy is among the worst performers compared to other countries. Spain and Malta are also seeing their populations age tremendously year after year. But according to new data from the national statistics office ISTAT, Italy's total population did stabilize after 12 years of decline. On January 1 of this year, the population stood at 58.94 million, virtually unchanged from the previous year, the statistics office said. Immigration is thus almost entirely offsetting the country's declining birth rate.
©Marco D'Abramo via Unsplash - illustration image of children in Morocco