The end of the first confinement would seem to have made the French want to have babies again.
While specialists feared a “
baby crash
” following a spectacular drop in births at the end of 2020 and early 2021, an increase in newborns has been observed since last March.
Indeed, as reported by INSEE, 2,010 babies were born on average every day in April 2021, or 4% more than in April 2020, according to figures published by the institute on Thursday, May 27.
Read also: Birth rate disrupted by Covid-19: the drop in births eases in February
Nine months after the release of the first confinement, which lasted from mid-March to mid-May 2020, the first assessment drawn up by INSEE is positive.
This rise in births, which was reported in March, is confirmed in April.
These babies were all conceived after the confinement of spring 2020. According to the institute, this “
could be the sign of a gradual resumption of parenting projects after the first confinement, and of a catching up of the birth deficit observed in start of the year
”.
A decrease observed at the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021
Indeed, after the start of the pandemic and the first containment, at the end of 2020, the number had fallen by 7% last December compared to the previous year, and 13% in January 2021, confirming fears of many demographers: for a couple to decide to have babies, several factors come into play, and household confidence in the future plays a major role.
"
The horizon blocked
", would "
certainly have pushed some couples who wanted to have children to postpone their project
", confided at the time to
Figaro
Gilles Pison, researcher associated with INED.
Average number of births per day by month since 2015 Insee
A decline "
beyond measure
" which had not been reported since the years 1975, with the end of the "
baby boom
": "
Births in September and October 1975 had indeed decreased by 14% compared to the same months in 1974 Without reaching the same magnitude, births had also decreased during the economic recessions of the early 1980s and 1993, with declines over one year that could occasionally reach 10% in certain months,
”notes INSEE.
However, nothing of the sort has been reported in connection with the last economic crisis of 2008-2009.
A 4% increase in France in April 2021
However, since March, an upward trend in births has been emerging.
52,100 babies were born in February 2021, compared to 56,600 in 2020, a leap year.
"
The sharp drop in births observed in January 2021 has therefore clearly diminished
", judges INSEE.
Evolution of the average number of births per day between January 2020 and January 2021, February 2020 and February 2021, March 2020 and March 2021, April 2020 and April 2021, by region of residence of the mother.
INSEE
In April 2021, Corsica saw its birth rate skyrocket with 18.5% more babies compared to April 2020. The birth rate of the Center Val de Loire also increased by 12.2%.
Then we find Brittany with an increase of 9.7%, Occitanie with 8.5%, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur with 6%.
Read also: Birth rate in crisis: the baby blues of Covid-19
If there is an increase in the number of newborns, it will be necessary to wait until June for this to be confirmed.
From a global point of view, France has entered its sixth year of decline in births, which is also called "
the crisis of the cradles
".
It remains to be seen whether the positive figures from March and April 2021 will last over time, especially nine months after the second wave and the new confinement at the end of 2020.