Births in the Canary Islands fall 2.5% in 2024 to 11,699

Decline in Births and Deaths in the Archipelago

In 2024 the Canary Islands recorded 11,699 births, a 2.5 % drop from the 11,998 births registered in 2023, according to the National Statistics Institute (INE).
Deaths also decreased, falling 1.6 % to 17,545. The resulting natural balance for the islands is ‑5,846 inhabitants.

National Overview: Historic Low Births Across Spain

Across Spain, births continued their downward trend, reaching a new historic minimum of 318,005 in 2024 – the lowest figure since the series began in 1941. This represents a 0.8 % decline (2,651 fewer births) compared with the previous year. Since 2014, the total number of births in Spain has fallen 25.6 %.

Births by Mother’s Nationality

81,339 births (25.6 % of the total) were to mothers with foreign nationality, up from 24.4 % in 2023.
105,814 births (33.3 % of the total) were to mothers born abroad, compared with 31.3 % the year before.

Fertility Indicators

The total fertility rate (average children per woman) slipped to **1.10 in 2024, two hundredths lower than in 2023.
For Spanish mothers the rate fell to 1.07; for foreign mothers it was 1.27.
The average age of mothers remained at 32.6 years (unchanged since 2021). Among Spanish mothers it rose to 33.2 years, while for foreign mothers it fell to .5 years.

Trend: Births to mothers aged 40 years or older continue to rise. In 2014, mothers 40+ accounted for 7.2 % of all births; by 2024 this share had climbed to 10.4 %, a 7.3 % increase over the decade.

Mortality Statistics

Total deaths in Spain in 2024: 436,118, six fewer than the previous year.
Notable decline in deaths among people aged 85‑89 (‑6 % overall; ‑5.3 % for men, ‑6.7 % for women).
Infant mortality rose slightly to 3.04 deaths per 1,000 live births (+0.4).
Life expectancy at birth reached 84.01 years (+0.2). Men: 81.38 years (+0.3); women: 86.53 years (+0.2).
At age 65, the remaining life expectancy is 19.87 years for men and 23.64 years for women.

Marriages

175,364 marriages were registered in 2024, a 1.7 % increase over 2023.
The crude marriage rate rose to 3.6 marriages per 1,000 inhabitants.
Same‑sex marriages accounted for 4.2 % of all unions (7,336 couples), with 51.7 % involving women and 48.3 % involving men.
The average age at marriage increased by 0.3 years: men married at 39.9 years, women at 37.2 years.