Idescat’s provisional figures put Catalonia’s birth count at 54,249 in 2025, the first increase since 2008. The 0.8% rise from the previous year breaks a long-standing downward trend in the region’s birth statistics. Idescat’s municipal statistics list 28,019 boys and 26,230 girls, adding up to the provisional total.
The profile of new mothers is also shifting. The average age at childbirth rose to 32.8 years, while women had their first child at an average age of 31.8. Both figures were higher than in 2024, reflecting the continued trend toward later motherhood in Catalonia. Despite the rise in total births, the crude birth rate remained at 6.65 births per 1,000 inhabitants, or 6.7‰ when rounded, matching last year’s level. The number of women of childbearing age (15 to 49 years) grew by 0.5% over the same period. The crude birth rate measures births relative to the total population, while the fertility rate expresses births per woman. The two indicators so describe different aspects of demographic change.
The overall fertility rate continued to decline, reaching 1.08 children per woman, slightly below the 1.09 recorded in 2024 and well below the 1.53 peak in 2008. The decrease highlights the demographic challenges facing the region, even as the absolute number of births edges upward.
Idescat’s “El municipi en xifres” database also sets Catalonia’s figures alongside local and comarca-level data. In 2025, Alcarràs recorded 92 births and a crude birth rate of 8.86‰, while the Segrià comarca recorded 1,661 births and a rate of 7.49‰, compared with Catalonia’s 6.65‰. The figures show that birth rates vary across the region. The regional total does not represent every municipality’s experience.
One impressive change is the growing proportion of births to Spanish nationals. In 2025, 65.3% of newborns had mothers with Spanish nationality, up 2% from the previous year. By contrast, births to foreign nationals fell by 1.2% and represented 34.7% of the total. Women born in Catalonia accounted for 48.5% of births, while women born abroad accounted for 46.3%. Mothers from other parts of Spain accounted for 5.2%.
Moroccan women remained the largest group among foreign mothers, with 4,373 births, equal to 8.1% of all births in Catalonia and 23.2% of births to foreign nationals. Mothers from Colombia accounted for 1,517 births, while those from Pakistan accounted for 1,345. Women from Honduras had 857 births, and women from Peru had 744. Italian nationals led among mothers from European Union countries, with 740 births in 2025.
Popular baby names also reflect current trends. Biel topped the list for boys, with Nil and Marc also among the leading names. Júlia/Julia and Sofía/Sofia were the most common choices for girls. These preferences reflect local traditions alongside broader cultural influences in Catalonia’s naming patterns.
Idescat’s provisional figures show demographic change across the region. Births edged up, while the average maternal age rose and the share of mothers with Spanish nationality grew. These shifts reflect complex social and economic factors. Despite the increase after years of decline, the persistently low fertility rate suggests that Catalonia, like much of Spain, continues to face long-term population challenges. Spain as a whole has one of the lowest fertility rates in the European Union, and delayed motherhood is a well-established nationwide trend. These factors have implications for the region’s future workforce size, social services, and economic planning.
