European
The family in the EU25 seen through figures; Two-thirds of households in the EU25 are without children
By Finfacts Team
May 16, 2006, 20:30

On the occasion of the United Nation's International Day of Families, which takes place every year on 15 May, Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Union, published statistics on families in the EU and the 25 Member States.

Nearly one divorce for every two marriages in the EU25

There were around 2.2 million marriages in the EU25 in 2004, or 4.8 marriages per 1000 inhabitants.

However, there were almost 1 million divorces in the EU25 in 2004 (2.1 divorces per 1000 inhabitants).

The Member States with the highest divorce rates were the Czech Republic and Lithuania (both 3.2) and Estonia (3.1).

The lowest rates were found in Ireland (0.7 in 2003), Italy (0.8 in 2003) and Greece (1.1).

Source: Eurostat

One third of all babies born outside marriage in the EU25

There were almost 4.8 million babies born in the EU25 in 2004, which makes 10.5 live births per 1000 inhabitants.

Ireland (15.2) had the highest birth rate, followed by France (12.7), Denmark, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom (12.0 each).

The lowest rates were found in Germany (8.6), Latvia (8.8) and Lithuania (8.9). Out of the 4.8 million babies born in the EU25 in 2004, around one third was born outside marriage. The largest proportions of births outside marriage were found in Estonia (58% in 2003), followed by Sweden (55%), Denmark and Latvia (45% each) and France (45% in 2003), while the lowest were observed in Cyprus (3%), Greece (5%) and Italy (15%).

Source: Eurostat

In the EU25 in 2005, 67% of households were without children, including single person households (29%), couples without children (24%) and other types of all-adult households (14%).

The proportion of households with one child was 16%, 13% had two children and 4% three or more. Among Member States, 70% or more of households in Finland, Germany, Denmark and Austria were without children, while it was 55% or less in Poland, Lithuania, Slovakia, Cyprus and Malta.

Amongst households with children, it was most common to have one child in nearly all Member States. However, in Denmark, Cyprus, Luxembourg and the Netherlands it was more common to have two children. In Belgium and Slovakia there were equal shares of households with one or two children. In Cyprus, 10% of households had 3 children or more, compared to the EU25 average of 4%. Single parent households represented 13% of all households with children in the EU25 in 2005. The highest rate of single parents was found in the United Kingdom (24%), followed by Belgium (18%), Estonia (17%) and Denmark and Germany (16% each).

Source: Eurostat

Out of household expenditure in the EU25 in 2004, 21% went on housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, 13% on transport, 13% on food and non-alcoholic beverages, 10% on recreation and culture and 6% on clothing and footwear. Most of the Member States followed the same expenditure pattern. However, in Cyprus, Lithuania, Malta and Portugal expenditure on both transport and food had higher shares than on housing. In Greece, Italy and Portugal there was a higher share spent on clothing than on recreation and culture. Finally, in Austria and the United Kingdom a higher share was spent on recreation and culture than on food.