The characteristics of reproductive demographic processes in economically developed countries in conditions of COVID-19 pandemic: international publications review

Abstract

The article presents current trends in reproductive demographic process economically developed countries. Today, the total fertility rate in all European countries is below the minimum required to ensure population reproduction in long term - 2.1 children per woman during her life. According statistic data, 4.167 million children were born in the EU in 2019 that corresponds to 9.3 births per 1000 of population. In the EU, 1.53 children went to one woman in 2019 (in 2018 - 1.54). The lowest total fertility rates in 2019 were registered in Malta (1.14), Spain (1.23) and Italy (1.27). In the United States, fall of rate of childless women with higher education disputes well-established observation of positive relationship between education and childlessness. The infertility affects approximately 8-12% of couples worldwide, at that in developed countries, up to 15% of all couples are infertile. In connection with the problem of birth rate reduction in developed countries, researchers highlight such problems as increasing of average age of mothers at delivery (30-35 years and older) and intervals between labors, development of subsidiary reproductive technologies, pregnancy outcomes, newborns health in short and long perspective. The global COVID-19 pandemic resulted in resources deficiency, complexities with medical services support related to reproductive health, risks for maternal and perinatal outcomes in pregnant women with COVID-19. However, actually still there is no complete picture of pandemic impact on global indices of reproductive demographic process.