Bulgaria has the highest total fertility rate in the EU, with Bulgarian women also being the youngest first-time mothers

According to data from Eurostat for the fertility rate in 2023, Bulgarian women have the highest number of children in the European Union, and the youngest mothers are also Bulgarian. The fertility rate measures the average number of children a woman is expected to have during her reproductive years. In the city of Sliven (Southeastern Bulgaria), women of childbearing age have the highest number of children, with an average of 2.6 children. It is no secret that a large proportion of young mothers under the age of 18 are from the Roma ethnic group. The statistics place Bulgaria first in birth rate, ahead of France, with Sliven being the national and European champion.

At 27 years old, Yovana from Sliven is already enjoying her first child. She gave birth two years ago, as she decided to focus on her education first.

Yoana, mother of one: "24-25 a good age, for a first child, right. It depends how many children we want to have. I want to have at least one more".

However, the financial factor is important when raising a child.

"For maternity leave, the size of allowance in the first year is fine, but in the second year they reduce it a lot, which I don't understand. Honestly, it's impossible to raise a child just with maternity leave."

Marina gave birth to her second child several days ago.

Marina, a mother of two: "The children are very close in age—only a year and a half apart. We wanted them to be close in age, to be a company foor each other from the very beginning."

The 32-year-old mother advises women not to postpone childbirth for a later stage.

"As a mother, it becomes harder to care for a child as you get older. Patience becomes less, and a woman is burdened by other life events."

Prof. Dr. Assen Nikolov, head of the maternity clinic at the Hospital "Maichin Dom":

"It is best for childbirth to occur between the age of 18 and 30. Younger girls who give birth around the age of 15-16 are definitely at risk, and there are also risks for older women, over 35 years old."

Last year, 3,255 children were born in "Maichin dom" hospital, about 70 more compared to 2023. Despite this, and despite Eurostat's statistics, Bulgaria still has a negative natural population growth.

Assoc. Prof. Stoyanka Cherkezova, Institute for Population and Human Studies at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS):
"On one hand, we have the positive news that we have the highest total fertility rate, but on the other hand, it is not sufficient, it is definitely not enough to maintain the population size."

"In Bulgaria, even at the beginning of the transition period, the trend continued of women giving birth relatively earlier than in Europe. As a result, we still maintain this younger age for childbirth," Stoyanka Cherkezova added

Experts also remind that postponing the birth of the first child sometimes results in not having a second child due to advanced age.