President Macron Wants More Children

Paris. For a long time, France's birth rate was higher than in the rest of Europe. Vive l'amour! In recent years, however, it has fallen dramatically. From a peak of 2.0 children per woman in 2010, the rate fell to 1.56 children by 2025. As recently as 2018, Switzerland praised France for its modern and efficient family policy. There was talk of the French exception, because it was seen as a modern society that did not discourage working women from having children, but encouraged them to do so with a constantly evolving family policy. That has changed radically. Creating nursery places is not enough to motivate women to have children. The year 2025 was the first year since the Second World War in which France recorded more deaths than births.

The Biological Clock Is Ticking

Reason enough for the president to intervene personally. Every 29-year-old French woman now receives a letter reminding her of her biological clock. For two years, the president has been talking about the demographic rearmament of the country, using rather martial language to refer to the fertility of French women, which promptly earned him criticism from feminist circles.

Men also receive a letter at the age of 29, reminding them of the declining quality of their sperm. Health Minister Stéphanie Rist, whose office sent the letter, points out that one in eight couples in France now has difficulty conceiving. In many cases, the problem lies with the man's inability to father children.

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In addition to the letter campaign, the French government is taking a number of concrete measures to encourage people to have more children. By 2028, it plans to set up numerous new centres specialising in fertility problems. Affected couples will receive faster and more accurate diagnoses so that they can be helped more immediately. However, the government remains vague about what this help will look like in concrete terms. Neglected diseases such as endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome, which can cause infertility, are to be better treated in future.

There has long been a law, which the letter also refers to: women between the ages of 29 and 37 can have their eggs frozen free of charge in France. The fact that the letter does not mention the risks of so-called social freezing is another matter. In a country that enshrines abortion as a fundamental right in its constitution, it seems only logical to view fertility as a purely medical issue. France is thus fully in line with what the WHO and EU commonly refer to as reproductive health. Here, too, problematic measures such as artificial insemination and abortion are naturally included.

Demographics in Europe

Since demographic change, which is now becoming a demographic crisis in some countries, is a European problem, France is not alone. All European countries are striving to achieve higher birth rates. The measures range from classic child benefits to birth bonuses and baby gift boxes with varying contents, to tax breaks and childcare services, in some cases even for very young children.

Bulgaria, for example, offers the longest maternity leave at 58.5 weeks at 90 per cent of salary. Hungary, Czechia and Sweden also grant very long paid parental leave of up to 24 months. Bulgaria is the country in Europe with the highest birth rate of 1.81 children per woman. Malta has the lowest rate with only 1.08 children. All European countries are below 2.1 children per woman, the so-called replacement level.

In Germany, the desire to have children is significantly higher than the actual birth rates. According to data from the Family Demographic Panel of the Federal Institute for Population Research, the desire to have children has remained stable, said a spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of Education, Family, Seniors, Women and Youth (BMBFSFJ). The intended number of children among women of childbearing age (18–49 years) has been around 1.8 children per woman since 2021.

The decision for or against having children is a personal one. According to the ministry, it is influenced by many factors that are beyond the control of the state. In a representative survey commissioned by the BMBFSFJ at the end of 2025, 32 per cent of childless people said they had not yet found a suitable partner. Thirty-one per cent wanted to maintain their personal freedom. Seven per cent cited health reasons, and eleven per cent cannot have any more children. Social and economic conditions also played a role. These include financial benefits such as parental allowance and child benefit, as well as measures to improve the compatibility of family and career.

Ministry Focuses on Continuity

In view of the increase in women's participation in the labour market, the compatibility of family and career is of particular importance. According to the spokesperson, the German federal government is therefore continuing to invest in childcare. As part of an investment offensive, a total of four billion euros will be made available to the individual federal states for education and childcare infrastructure between 2026 and 2029. In addition, the federal government has been supporting the states since 2019 through the KiTa Quality and Participation Improvement Act, with around two billion euros annually in 2025 and 2026.

In view of declining birth rates, the federal government is focusing on continuity. According to preliminary data from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the birth rate in Germany fell to 1.35 children per woman in 2024. This represents a significant decrease from 1.46 in 2011 and 1.49 in 2022 and continues the decline that has been observed since 2017. According to the ministry spokesperson, the course that has been set will be continued with investments in childcare, incentives for the sharing of tasks between partners, and measures to promote equality and a family-friendly working environment.

The Hungarian Way

Hungary has developed a remarkable family policy in recent years. The core of the measures is a tax-centred social policy. Unlike Western European models with state transfer payments, it focuses primarily on tax relief for families. There are employment incentives and tax breaks aimed primarily at young families and women of working age.

According to this philosophy, having children should not entail any social or economic disadvantages. At the same time, the state is strengthening domestic purchasing power, which also benefits the middle class. In addition, there are measures such as low-interest loans and building subsidies for families. Repayments are waived on a sliding scale depending on the number of children. The programme is clearly aimed at the working middle class, which Hungary wants to strengthen.

Its success is reflected in an increase to 1.55 children per woman in 2024. Hungary has not yet achieved the target of 2.1 children per woman, which is necessary for a stable population. That is why the country is expanding its programme. Until October 2025, mothers with four or more children were exempt from income tax for life. The scheme was extended to mothers with three children and, according to the plan, will be extended to mothers with two children later this year.