Abstract
The aim of this paper is to present the types of fertility patterns that characterise European countries and their NUTS-1 units in the early 21st c. and in the near future. The types of fertility patterns were defined by ordering six five-year age groups of women aged from 15 to 44 years, according to the groups’ fertility rates (from the highest to the lowest). The analysis resulted in the creation of 14 different types of fertility patterns. Countries located in the same European region tend to have the same or similar type of fertility pattern. In most European countries, the postponement transition can be observed, and it will probably continue in the future.
 Differences between the fertility rates of the age groups were assessed within countries and between countries with the same type of fertility pattern by calculating the so-called fertility rate ratios. The paper also provides an overview of the main theories and concepts explaining the course of family formation processes in Europe and indicates factors that shape fertility patterns in European countries today.
Highlights
Europe’s population is the oldest compared with other continents, but it is the only one that is projected to decline in the several decades
The aim of this paper is to present the types of fertility patterns that characterise selected European countries and their NUTS-1 units in the early 21st c
The analysis of age-group-specific fertility rates for all births and first births in all selected countries, NUTS-1 units and years yielded 14 types of fertility patterns, which were numbered from 1 to 14
Summary
Europe’s population is the oldest compared with other continents, but it is the only one that is projected to decline in the several decades. Both the ageing and decrease in the population in Europe are attributed to falling fertility rates that usually co-occur with relatively stable or declining mortality rates (as a result, life expectancy increases). The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) is a measure that allows the fertility levels of different populations to be compared. The total fertility rate for first births (TFR1) differs from the TFR in that it is only calculated with age-specific fertility rates for first births (see, for instance, Philipov, 2017)
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