The evolution of fertility in Greece since the 1960s: a joinpoint regression analysis

Abstract

In this paper, we use the joinpoint regression analysis to examine the fertility transition in Greece from 1960 to 2020 after constructing period fertility rates, such as the total annual fertility rates, age-specific fertility rates and mean age of mothers at childbearing for the overall number of births and by birth order. The sources of the empirical data used are the Hellenic Statistical Authority and the European Demographic Observatory database. Results indicate the complex nature of the recent fertility transition in Greece, which occurred in several subsequent cycles. Each of these cycles is examined in this paper, and it describes a population’s transition from a relatively higher fertility regime compared with contemporary standards to a lowest-low one, to an increasing period, and finally to the most recent era of low fertility. After examining all of these, it is evident that the application of this method on any demographic data is robust and efficient.