International Institute for Population Sciences
Deemed to be University (An Autonomous Organization of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India)

This study examines fertility patterns among intra-European migrants, focusing on generational differences in reproductive behavior. Although international migration can profoundly shape individuals’ life courses- affecting employment, partnerships, education, and health- its influence on fertility within Europe remains underexplored. Much of the existing literature addresses country-specific or parity-based outcomes, overlooking how migration within Europe interacts with broader demographic trends in low-fertility contexts. Drawing on harmonized cross-national data from Wave 1 (version 4.4) of the Generations and Gender Survey, we analyze fertility outcomes among women residing in eleven European countries who are either non-migrants, first-generation migrants, or 1.5-generation migrants. The sample includes migrants from eight European origin regions. To model the number of biological children, we employ standard Poisson regression, as the dependent variable’s distribution does not display overdispersion or an excess of zero counts, conditions that would necessitate alternative specifications such as negative binomial or zero-inflated models. The analytical sample consists of 1,495 1.5-generation migrants, 2,152 first-generation migrants, and 57,385 non-migrants. Our findings reveal that the 1.5-generation exhibits the highest predicted number of children, followed by non-migrants and first-generation migrants across all models. However, these differences largely disappear once destination country effects are accounted for. The results underscore the importance of considering both generational status and country context when studying fertility among migrants. By incorporating a wide range of European origins and destinations within a unified analytical framework, this study contributes new comparative evidence to the understanding of how migration and generational status shape fertility behavior in contemporary Europe.