Glossary

Definition Description
Population (millions) Total population of a given country or region as of 1st January 2014. For most countries this count represents the legal resident population in the country, including foreign citizens with a residence permit. The data are mostly based on Eurostat (2015) and, when unavailable, on national statistical offices. For country-specific information see Data Sources.
Births (thousands) Number of live births during a calendar year. In most countries data refer to 2013. The main source is Eurostat (2015). For country-specific information see Data Sources.
Share of births outside marriage Share of live births to unmarried mothers among all live births in 2013, in percent. Births outside marriage include births to single mothers as well as to mothers cohabiting with a partner outside of a legal union. The main source is Eurostat (2015). For country-specific information see Data Sources.
Total fertility rate (TFR) The average number of children that would be born alive to a woman during her lifetime, if age-specific fertility rates of a given year remained constant during her childbearing lifetime. It is computed as the sum of fertility rates by age across all childbearing ages. For 2013 the TFRs are mostly based on own computations from Eurostat (2015) data on live births by age of mother and population by age and sex. For 1980 the data are mostly based on Human Fertility Database and Human Fertility Collection. For country-specific information see Data Sources.
Change in TFR The absolute difference between the period Total Fertility Rate in 2013 and 1980.
Tempo and parity adjusted TFR Fertility indicator that takes into account the influence of the shifting age at childbearing on the period Total Fertility Rate (TFR). This indicator estimates the TFR that would be reached in a given year if the age pattern of childbearing remained the same as in the previous year. Because the age at childbearing has been continually increasing in all parts of Europe in the last decades, some births that would otherwise have taken place in any given year were shifted into the future. As a result, the TFR fell well below the completed cohort fertility, i.e. below the number of children women have over their entire life course. Tempo and parity adjusted TFR (TFRp*) for 2011 is estimated as an average for 2010-2012 using the method by Bongaarts and Feeney (1998) or, when more detailed data are available, using Bongaarts and Sobotka (2012) indicator for 2011. For some countries a simplified computation method of the Bongaarts and Feeney’s indicator was used. For details on computation method for specific countries see Data Sources.
Mean age at birth The mean age of mothers at childbearing computed as the mean age (in years) from age-specific fertility rates in a given year. The reference year is 2013. The indicator is mostly based on own computations from Eurostat (2015) data. For country-specific information see Data Sources.
Mean age at first birth The mean age of women at the birth of their first child, computed as the mean age (in years) from age-specific fertility rates of first birth order in a given year. The indicator for 2013 is mostly based on own computations from Eurostat (2015) data. For 1980 the data are mostly based on Human Fertility Database and Human Fertility Collection.
Change in mean age at first birth The absolute difference (in years) between the mean age at first birth in 2013 and in 1980.
Completed cohort fertility The average number of children born alive to women born in the same year (i.e., a birth cohort) during their reproductive lives. Unlike the TFR, which is a hypothetical period indicator, completed fertility represents a measure of actual family size and is known only for women who have completed their childbearing. In this datasheet we show completed fertility of women born in 1950 (who were about 63 years old in 2013, the last year for which we have collected fertility data) and of women born in 1972 (who were about 41 years old in 2013). As only a very small fraction of births take place after age 41 (1.5 % in the EU in 2013), it is possible to estimate with a great accuracy the completed fertility rate for these women, using the most recent available data for 2013 as an estimate of their childbearing after age 41. The data are mostly based on Human Fertility Database and Human Fertility Collection. For country-specific information see Data Sources.
Change in completed cohort fertility The absolute difference in the average number of children born alive, comparing women born in 1972 with those born in 1950.
Cohort childlessness Proportion of women remaining childless, in percent. The values show the share of permanently childless women among women born in 1950 and the share of women childless by age 42 among women born in 1972. The data come from various sources, including Cohort Fertility and Education (CFE) database, Human Fertility Collection, Human Fertility Database national data sources and expert estimates. For country-specific information see Data Sources.
Change in childlessness The absolute difference (in percentage points) between the cohort childlessness of women born in 1972 and in 1950. This indicator shows the increase in the share of women remaining permanently childless between these two cohorts.
Share of teenage fertility in TFR Contribution of teenage fertility to the total fertility rate in percent. It is computed as a ratio of teenage fertility (i.e. the sum of fertility rates at ages 12-19) to the overall Total Fertility Rate (i.e. the sum of fertility rates across all childbearing ages). The indicator for 2013 is mostly based on own computations from Eurostat (2015) data. For 1980 the data are mostly based on the Human Fertility Database and Human Fertility Collection. For country-specific information see Data Sources.
Share of first births at age 35+ Contribution of first birth fertility rates at age 35+ to the overall total fertility rate of the first birth order (TFR1), in percent. It shows the ratio of fertility rates of first-time mothers older than 35 years to the overall fertility of first birth order across all childbearing ages in 2013. The indicator is mostly based on own computations from Eurostat (2015) data. For country-specific information see Data Sources.
Projected TFR for 2050 Projected Total Fertility Rate in 2050 in the medium (main) variants of the population projections published by the United Nations (UN) and by the Wittgenstein Centre for Population and Global Human Capital (WIC). The UN value represents an average of the levels for periods 2045-2050 and 2050-2055 in their medium projection variant of the TFR published in the 2015 revision of World Population Prospects. For the WIC projection, the data pertain to the period 2050-2055 (SSP2 scenario); the source is Lutz, Butz and KC (2014) and the data are available at the Data Explorer.
Completed fertility by education Mean number of children by women’s highest attained education among women born in 1950-1959. These data are computed from various sources, mostly censuses and large-scale surveys; the most important data source is Cohort Fertility and Education database (CFE) (2015). Low refers to no education, primary and lower secondary education (ISCED 1997 levels 0, 1, and 2); Medium refers to upper secondary education (ISCED 1997 levels 3 and 4); High refers to tertiary (university) education (ISCED 1997 levels 5 and 6). For country-specific information see Data Sources.
Difference in CFR Absolute difference in completed fertility between women with low and high attained level education (women born in 1950-1959). These data are computed from various sources, mostly censuses and large-scale surveys; the most important data source is Cohort Fertility and Education database (CFE) (2015). Low refers to no education, primary and lower secondary education (ISCED 1997 levels 0, 1, and 2); High refers to tertiary (university) education (ISCED 1997 levels 5 and 6).
Mean ideal number of children Mean ideal number of children among women aged 15-49 in 2011-2012. The source is Eurobarometer 2011 and/or International Social Survey 2012.
TFR by country of birth of mother Total Fertility Rate computed separately for women born in the country and living in the country in 2013 (native women) and for women born outside of the country and living in the country in 2013 (foreign born women). In most countries foreign born women include only women with legal residence in the country and exclude illegal migrants. The group of foreign born women also includes women born abroad who obtained country’s citizenship at birth or after their immigration. The indicators are based on own computations from Eurostat (2015) data on live births by age and country of birth of mother and population by age, sex and country of birth. For Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Germany and Switzerland we used data collected for women with foreign citizenship instead of foreign born women, as the latter were not available (Germany, Switzerland), or showed implausible values or inconsistencies.
Net effect of migrants The net effect of migrant women on period Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in a given country or region. It represents the contribution fertility rates of migrant women have on expanding or depressing the TFR for the whole country or region. It is computed as an absolute difference between the TFR of all women in the country (country TFR) and the TFR of women born in the country (TFR of native women).
Share of births to foreign born women Share of live births in 2013 to women born abroad and residing on the country in 2013, in percent. It is computed as a ratio of live births registered in the country to resident foreign born women in 2013 and the total number of live births in the country in 2013. The indicator is based on Eurostat (2015) data on live births by age and country of birth of mother. For Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Germany and Switzerland we used data collected on births among women with foreign citizenship instead of foreign born women, as the latter were not available (Germany, Switzerland), or showed implausible values or inconsistencies.
Share of foreign born women aged 15-49 Share of women of reproductive age (15-49) born abroad and resident in the country in 2013 among all women of reproductive age, in percent. The indicator is based on own computations from Eurostat (2015) data on population by age, sex and country of birth. For Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Germany and Switzerland we used data collected for women with foreign citizenship instead of foreign born women, as the latter were not available (Germany, Switzerland), or showed implausible values or inconsistencies.
Children age 0-2 living with single mothers proportion of children aged 0-2 who live with single (i.e. not married and not cohabiting) mothers. Computations based on European Labour Force Survey, data for Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg and Malta give averages for the years 2010-2013, otherwise the data refer to the situation in 2013.
Children age 0-2 living with cohabiting mothers proportion of children aged 0-2 who live with a mother living in cohabiting union (i.e. not married but also not single). Computations based on European Labour Force Survey, data for Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg and Malta give averages for the years 2010-2013, otherwise the data refer to the situation in 2013.

Notes

European Union always refers to the current territory of 28 member states (excluding French overseas departments). EU-15 refers to the EU member states prior to 2004; EU 13 (new members) covers 13 countries accessing the EU in 2004, 2007 and 2013.

The Datasheet does not feature European countries with population below 100 thousand (Andorra, Lichtenstein, Monaco, and San Marino).

Data for France exclude overseas departments. Data for Cyprus, Moldova and Georgia refer to the government controlled area only.

Definition of regions in the regional overview take into account geographical, historical and geopolitical divisions, as well as similarity in demographic trends in countries they cover. Countries are grouped into regions as follows: Southern Europe (Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain); Western Europe (Belgium, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom); German-speaking countries (Austria, Germany, Switzerland); Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden); Central-Eastern Europe (Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia); South-Eastern Europe (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia); Eastern Europe (Belarus, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine); Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia). Turkey is not included in any region.