Demographics
Fertility rates in the EU are plummeting, with few exceptions
A snapshot of birth rates between 2010 and 2021 in the 27 EU Member States shows that Germany and Hungary have managed to resist the general trend thanks to an increase in birth rates. Meanwhile, Italy comes last, along with Spain and Malta.
EU: cohesion and depopulation
In the whole of South-Eastern Europe, the data on depopulation are dramatic and require urgent reflections. In the rest of Europe the trend is less negative, but remains alarming.
Croatia: suicide is a public health issue
Croatia has not yet adopted a national suicide prevention strategy, despite the suicide rate recorded in the country being higher than the European and global average.
Ten European countries pay egg donors anywhere from 250 to 2,000 euros
In addition to economic or altruistic motivation, anonymity plays a key role in egg or sperm donation, although an increasing number of countries require disclosure of donor identities.
Assisted reproduction in Hungary has a success rate of 2%
Erika and her husband have tried in-vitro fertilisation four times since 2017, but after two implantations without success they had enough of the overworked Hungarian healthcare system and decided to try their luck abroad. They have never regretted their decision.
Useful data on assisted reproduction in Europe
The sources which were used for EDJNet's data-driven investigation on access to assisted reproduction techniques in Europe.
The postcode lottery of publicly-funded assisted reproduction in Spain
Many autonomous communities are not providing the bare minimum of provision in Spain’s health service and are using stripped back services, age limits and imposing fees in order to avoid providing the service.
Spain, Czechia, Denmark and Belgium are the meccas of reproductive tourism
Barriers in many European countries push thousands of people abroad to access assisted reproductive technology techniques. In some cases, they take out huge loans to pay for the treatments.
More than half of European countries prohibit access to assisted reproduction for lesbians and almost a third do so for single women
The situation is much more difficult for trans and intersex people. In addition to the legal barriers, they face economic stumbling blocks: most public health systems cover only part of the costs or have very long wait lists or narrow access criteria.
