Figures published by Eurostat are particularly discouraging for birth rates in Greece. According to the data, Greek women are bearing fewer children at a later stage in their lives, compared to the EU average. The numbers revealed that births had dropped in Greece by 10.2% between 2001-2015, when the respective numbers over the same period were up in the EU. More specifically, 2015 fertility rates in Greece stood at 1.33 in comparison to 2001 when they were at 1.25. The same numbers were 1.58 and 1.46 in the EU, respectively, with France (1.96) and Ireland (1.92) recording the highest rates. Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Poland, Spain and Italy were at the lower end of the spectrum. Women in Greece, Italy, Luxembourg and Spain gave birth on average at the age of 30. Sweden and the Czech Republic registered the highest rise in fertility with 20% between 2001-2015. Nearly 5,103,000 children were born in the EU countries in 2015, which was 40,000 more compared to 2001, while in Greece there was a fall, as in 2015 91,847 children were born compared to 102,282 in 2001. The average age for women to give birth in the EU was 29 years, compared to Greek women who chose to bear children after 30.