In the Canary Islands, 30 children have recently been born each day. This is according to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE). This figure has never been lower. The islands have been recording a decline for years now. And this is shifting priorities, and not just for young families.
In the first half of the year, hospitals and midwives in the Canary Islands recorded 5,534 births. That worked out at an average of 30 newborns a day. The birth rate was already considered alarming last year. Back then, the figure stood at 32 children a day.
These days, there are far more pets than children in the Canary Islands. And, incidentally, this is changing the entire infrastructure of the archipelago:
Canary Islands: Two dogs for every child
For decades, the Canary Islands were regarded as one of the most child-friendly regions in Spain. Even today, the locals remain more open-minded than average. The noise of children hardly ever drives a neighbour to the window in annoyance. Perhaps that’s changing now, too, because children are becoming increasingly rare.
According to data from the Canary Islands Statistical Office (Istac), there are around 332,000 children and young people under the age of 18 on the islands. A glance at the pet register reveals that there are 569,215 dogs. The figure for children under the age of 15 is correspondingly alarming: there are 264,613. And this leads to a shift in focus. After all, where there are fewer children, society and the economy change too.
Most recently, the Canary Islands announced that they would subsidise nurseries through direct awards, i.e. by providing funding without a tender process. This is not the only area where public money is needed to get the infrastructure for children back on track.
The number of vets in the Canary Islands is rising significantly each year. In 2024, there were 1,749; by last year, this figure had risen to 1,813. The number of paediatricians, on the other hand, is falling. According to the latest Istac figures, there were 315.
In the Canary Islands, there are currently more than two dogs for every child under the age of 15. And almost six vets for every paediatrician.
Canary Islands: High costs and dual-income households
Experts report that the family structure in the Canary Islands is undergoing a fundamental change. The figures also bear this out: just under six in ten mothers were in their thirties, whilst 493 mothers of newborns were also aged between 40 and 44. With every survey, mothers are getting older. This is due, amongst other things, to rising costs and the resulting need for two breadwinners.
The Canary Islands are currently the region with the second-sharpest decline in the birth rate in Spain, at 1.43 per cent. Only in Galicia has the birth rate fallen more sharply, by 3.6 per cent. Rising living costs are causing the number of births to fall ever further, whilst parents are getting older and older.
Biologically speaking, there is a limit to how old new parents can get. Meanwhile, the birth rate in the Canary Islands continues to fall steadily. Whilst politicians are seeking a solution – through subsidies, amongst other measures – at least the Canary Islands‘ vets are benefiting from this trend.
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