Changes in fertility and family sizes in Europe

This article describes recent trends in annual fertility rates, and generation measurements of average family size and family size distributions for eight selected European Countries. It compares the changing ages at which mothers are having children and the decline in higher order births, both over time and between countries: The way that variations and changes in annual rates influence generation measurements is also illustrated. Finally, the article compares prevailing annual rates with the long-term fertility assumption included in the most recent population projections for seven countries.