<P> In 2014, 42% of all births in the 28 EU countries were nonmarital . In the following European countries the majority of births occur outside marriage: Iceland (69.9% in 2016), France (59.7% in 2016), Bulgaria (58.6% in 2016), Slovenia (58.6% in 2016), Norway (56.2% in 2016), Estonia (56.1% in 2016), Sweden (54.9% in 2016), Denmark (54% in 2016), Portugal (52.8% in 2016), and the Netherlands (50.4% in 2016). </P> <P> The proportion of nonmarital births is also approaching half in the Czech Republic (49.0% in 2017), the United Kingdom (47.9% as of 2015), Hungary (46.7% as of 2016), Belgium (49.4% as of 2014), Spain (45.9% as of 2016), Finland (44.9% as of 2016), Austria (42.1% as of 2015). Only six EU countries (Greece, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland, Lithuania and Italy) have a percentage of nonmarital births below 30% . The lowest proportion of births outside marriage, among EU countries in 2016, were found in Greece (9.4%), Croatia (18.9%) and Cyprus (19.1%). </P> <P> The prevalence of births to unmarried women varies not only between different countries, but also between different geographical areas of the same country: for example, in Germany, there are very strong differences between the regions of former West Germany and East Germany with a non religious majority . Significantly more children are born out of wedlock in eastern Germany than in western Germany . In 2012, in eastern Germany 61.6% of births were to unmarried women, while in western Germany only 28.4% were . In the UK, in 2014, 59.4% of births were nonmarital in North East of England, 58.9% in Wales, 54.2% in North West England, 52.4% in Yorkshire and the Humber, 52% in East Midlands, 50.8% in Scotland, 50.4% in West Midlands, 48.5% in South West England, 45.5% in East of England, 43.2% in Northern Ireland, 42.9% in South East England, and 35.7% in London . In France, in 2012, 66.9% of births were nonmarital in Poitou - Charentes, while only 46.6% were in Ile - de-France (which contains Paris). One of the reasons for the lower prevalence of nonmarital births in the metropolis is the high number of immigrants from conservative world regions . In Canada, in Quebec, the majority of births since 1995 onwards have been outside marriage . As of 2015, 63% of births were outside marriage in Quebec . </P> <P> In the EU, the average percentage of nonmarital births has risen steadily in recent years, from 27.4% in 2000 to 40% in 2012 . </P>

What does having child out of wedlock mean