GEOGRAPHY OF FERTILITY IN GREECE: COHORT ANALYSIS USING CENSUS DATA

1. UNIVERSITY OF THESSALYDEPARTMENT OF PLANING AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENTLABORATORY OF DEMOGRAPHIC AND SOCIAL ANALYSES GEOGRAPHY OF FERTILITY IN GREECE: COHORT ANALYSIS USING CENSUS DATA SOFIANOPOULOU KAKIA LDSA

2. Geography of fertility in Greece: cohort analysis using census data Main Objectives • Are there spatial differences of the cohort fertility in Greece? • Is there convergence or divergence at municipality level between the fertility of the old and the new cohorts ? • Are there different growth rates of cohort fertility evolution among the spatial entities?

3. Geography of fertility in Greece: cohort analysis using census data DataGreek Census 2001Distribution of women (Greek nationality) present at the time of Census by number of born alive childrenIndicesCompleted fertility CFRa , CFRb, a=cohort 1935-1939 and b=cohort 1950-1954 Variation Index: (CFRb-CFRa)*100/CFRa, % of women without children% of women having more than 5 children (live births)

4. Geography of fertility in Greece: cohort analysis using census data Methodology Choice 2 groups of generations (1935-1939 and 1950-1954)Exclude spatial entities having less than 20 women and Δ >= +-20%, where Δ= (CFRt+1-CFRt)*100/CFRt, t=cohortClassification and mapping of CFRa, CFRb and Variation IndexStatistical analysis, based on relevant indicators, in order to see if there is convergence or divergence of completed fertility between “old” and “new cohorts” at municipality levelCross-tab analysis, (CFRa by Variation Index), in order to detect the growth rate of convergence or divergence among the spatial entitiesCluster analysis (K-means, 3 variables) and mapping

5. Geography of fertility in Greece: cohort analysis using census data The completed fertility in Greece is falling through the generations. The results in the level of the country reveal that there is a fall of the indices by 8,2% between 1925 and 1954.

6. Geography of fertility in Greece: cohort analysis using census data Based on natural movement data, the longitudinal analysis gives similar results for the completed fertility, with slightly lower values

7. Geography of fertility in Greece: cohort analysis using census data • Classification around the national mean • Lowest values: Region of Athens, Central-East Greece, Thessalonica, Corfu and Lesvos • Higher values: Dodecanese, South Crete, West Peloponnesus, Central-West Greece, Central Macedonia and Thrace • Generally the majority of the municipalities are around or above the population replacement limit (2,2-2,3 children/woman)

8. Geography of fertility in Greece: cohort analysis using census data • Classification around the national mean • Fall of the upper level, by one child per woman • The group of the lowest fertility units has ameliorate its values. At the opposite there is a decline of the completed fertility on the higher groups • Again the majority of the municipalities are around or above the population replacement limit (2,1 children/woman)

9. Geography of fertility in Greece: cohort analysis using census data • Classification around the national mean • In the majority of municipalities the completed fertility is falling • In the Central-East Greece and Peloponnesus as well as East Crete the CFR is increasing • Maximum decrease in the areas where the CFR was too high at the start point • First sign of convergence

10. Geography of fertility in Greece: cohort analysis using census data • the Conv.Index 1935-1939 > Conv.Index 1950-1954 (=> convergence between the two groups of cohorts)

11. Geography of fertility in Greece: cohort analysis using census data • The municipalities having high CFR in the cohort 1935-1939 mark decrease with faster rates. On the other hand those having low CFR in the cohort 1935-1939 mark increase with slow rates

12. Geography of fertility in Greece: cohort analysis using census data • Cluster analysis with 3 variables: • Completed Fertility • % of women without children • % of women having more than 5 live born children • The majority of spatial entities are in the medium fertility level, with CFR faintly above the population replacement limit (2,2-2,3 children/woman) and low percentages (<10%) of women without children, or having more than 5 children (<5%)

13. Geography of fertility in Greece: cohort analysis using census data • Cluster analysis with 3 variables • Completed Fertility • % of women without children • % of women having more than 5 live born children • The majority of spatial entities are in the medium fertility level, with CFR in the population replacement limit (2,1 children/woman) and low % of women without children (<8%), or having more than 5 children (<2%) • The number of municipalities with maximum fertility levels declined and there is a slight increase of those with relatively high or high fertility levels

14. Geography of fertility in Greece: cohort analysis using census data ConclusionsThe decline of fertility in Greece is a fact. The lifetime fertility is falling through cohorts at the country levelThere is a convergence between the fertility levels of the municipalities (Total = 1033 units, 883 for our analysis)The pattern of fertility in Greece was a mosaic of spatial entities with different levels of fertilityat the start point But due to the recent tendencies, we tend to a relative fertility spatial homogenizationThe rate of convergence is different for the spatial entities and depends from the level of fertility (low, medium, high) at the start point