Notes on the Level of Fertility in Romania, as Shown by International Statistical Data
Notes on the Level of Fertility in Romania, as Shown by International Statistical Data

Summary/Abstract: Values of total fertility rates offered by Eurostat show Romania as having the second highest fertility level in Europe, a fact that contradicts the image of population decline as outlined by Romanian demographers. In a country with important out migration, correctly assessing the usual resident population and the corresponding vital events, as Eurostat methodology requires, is difficult. Through a detailed look at newborns in the last decade, I show that the overestimation of Romania’s total fertility rate comes from the quasi total inclusion of children born abroad into the usual resident population, while in reality many of those children live abroad, with their (temporary) migrant parents. Through this paper, I want to raise a flag about this widely used fertility indicator and to make a call for caution in using it in international comparisons.

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