No, Europe’s most serious problem is not climate change, nor its public debt, nor even its geopolitical irrelevance—it is its demographic suicide, its programmed disappearance amid general indifference. Europe is dying. What countless wars and plagues have failed to achieve is now being accomplished by an unprecedented mix of self-hatred, materialism, spiritual emptiness, fashionable Malthusianism, and rampant individualism. Postmodern society has managed to anesthetize the reproductive instinct that has driven humanity for millennia, and no one seems to care—least of all its elites—on an aging continent that has never lived up to its name more fittingly.
Even worse, Europe has chosen to outsource its own survival, preferring to import millions of immigrants to secure its short-term future—fully aware that, in doing so, it is paving the way for its own disappearance. The numbers speak for themselves: according to Eurostat, the birth rate in the EU has been declining since 2008, no EU country meets the replacement threshold, and the continent’s median age continues to rise. In 2023, Europe’s median age reached 44.7 years. For decades, more Europeans have died than have been born, while millions of migrants continue to arrive. Europe is so consumed by ideology that it no longer dares to acknowledge the most obvious diagnosis or draw the necessary conclusions: first, Europeans are no longer having children, and this constitutes an existential threat; second, the utmost priority of any leader should be to encourage birth rates and place the traditional family at the heart of the equation, as the cornerstone of society. This stands as a direct challenge to the prevailing ideological orthodoxy in Europe, which promotes precisely the opposite.
Nevertheless, in this sea of fatalism, some countries refuse to fade away and dare to assert their existence. Hungary, for instance, has spent the past decade implementing ambitious and innovative family policies, investing 5% of its GDP to reverse the demographic suicide that once loomed over it. The approach is clear: ensuring that starting a family is not a disadvantage, placing mothers at the center of the equation, and rewarding marital stability. Since 2010, the government has introduced a comprehensive set of generous and strategic measures that have turned around what once seemed like an irreversible demographic decline. After years of freefall—from 2.25 children per woman in 1980 to a record low of 1.2 in 2010—the birth rate climbed to 1.6 in 2020 and now stands at 1.55. At the same time, divorce and abortion rates have significantly declined over the same period.
Hopeful? Yes. Sufficient? No. That is why the Hungarian government has just doubled down on its commitment to boosting birth rates with a series of new measures, the most notable of which is a groundbreaking tax exemption: mothers with two or more children will be exempt from paying income tax for life. This benefit previously applied only to mothers of four children, but it is now being dramatically expanded to provide a decisive boost to birth rates. In the coming months, Hungary will effectively become a tax haven for families—especially for mothers.
A revolutionary measure that will likely mark a turning point. Some remain skeptical, pointing out that after ten years, Hungary has yet to reach the replacement rate of 2.1 children per woman. This is true, but it has nonetheless averted an irreversible demographic collapse and fundamentally reversed the trend. Since 1980, Hungary’s birth rate had been in steep decline, dropping from 2.2 children per woman in 1978 to just 1.25 in 2010. By 2020, however, it had climbed to a notable 1.6. Without determined policy intervention, what would the birth rate be today? It is estimated that these pro-family measures have contributed to the birth of 250,000 babies over the past fifteen years. With the large-scale expansion of the tax exemption for mothers of two or more children, it is more than plausible that this trend will solidify in the years to come.
It is true that the battle for higher birth rates cannot be won through economic incentives alone. Europe urgently needs a cultural shock to counteract decades of individualist propaganda and legislation that have undermined and devalued the family. With the continent teetering on the edge of demographic collapse, the frivolity and ideological rigidity of political and cultural elites regarding family—and motherhood in particular—are unforgivable. Take Spain, for instance: despite having the second-lowest birth rate in the EU, its government does nothing to promote higher birth rates while simultaneously facilitating abortion for minors and passing an animal welfare law that fines pet owners for leaving their dogs outside supermarkets while shopping. Meanwhile, in Hungary, government policies are reinforced by civil society initiatives and a broader narrative that promotes the family, recognizing it for what it truly is—the cornerstone of society and a source of happiness and stability. This holistic approach has led to a simultaneous decline in divorce and abortion rates alongside rising birth rates. That is why Hungary remains the only country that proudly declares itself “family-friendly.”
As the 16th-century French statesman Jean Bodin once said, “There is no wealth but men.” In Hungary, there is no need for a reminder.
The Hungarian Way: Supporting Families to Boost Birth Rates
europeanconservative.com
No, Europe’s most serious problem is not climate change, nor its public debt, nor even its geopolitical irrelevance—it is its demographic suicide, its programmed disappearance amid general indifference. Europe is dying. What countless wars and plagues have failed to achieve is now being accomplished by an unprecedented mix of self-hatred, materialism, spiritual emptiness, fashionable Malthusianism, and rampant individualism. Postmodern society has managed to anesthetize the reproductive instinct that has driven humanity for millennia, and no one seems to care—least of all its elites—on an aging continent that has never lived up to its name more fittingly.
Even worse, Europe has chosen to outsource its own survival, preferring to import millions of immigrants to secure its short-term future—fully aware that, in doing so, it is paving the way for its own disappearance. The numbers speak for themselves: according to Eurostat, the birth rate in the EU has been declining since 2008, no EU country meets the replacement threshold, and the continent’s median age continues to rise. In 2023, Europe’s median age reached 44.7 years. For decades, more Europeans have died than have been born, while millions of migrants continue to arrive. Europe is so consumed by ideology that it no longer dares to acknowledge the most obvious diagnosis or draw the necessary conclusions: first, Europeans are no longer having children, and this constitutes an existential threat; second, the utmost priority of any leader should be to encourage birth rates and place the traditional family at the heart of the equation, as the cornerstone of society. This stands as a direct challenge to the prevailing ideological orthodoxy in Europe, which promotes precisely the opposite.
Nevertheless, in this sea of fatalism, some countries refuse to fade away and dare to assert their existence. Hungary, for instance, has spent the past decade implementing ambitious and innovative family policies, investing 5% of its GDP to reverse the demographic suicide that once loomed over it. The approach is clear: ensuring that starting a family is not a disadvantage, placing mothers at the center of the equation, and rewarding marital stability. Since 2010, the government has introduced a comprehensive set of generous and strategic measures that have turned around what once seemed like an irreversible demographic decline. After years of freefall—from 2.25 children per woman in 1980 to a record low of 1.2 in 2010—the birth rate climbed to 1.6 in 2020 and now stands at 1.55. At the same time, divorce and abortion rates have significantly declined over the same period.
Hopeful? Yes. Sufficient? No. That is why the Hungarian government has just doubled down on its commitment to boosting birth rates with a series of new measures, the most notable of which is a groundbreaking tax exemption: mothers with two or more children will be exempt from paying income tax for life. This benefit previously applied only to mothers of four children, but it is now being dramatically expanded to provide a decisive boost to birth rates. In the coming months, Hungary will effectively become a tax haven for families—especially for mothers.
A revolutionary measure that will likely mark a turning point. Some remain skeptical, pointing out that after ten years, Hungary has yet to reach the replacement rate of 2.1 children per woman. This is true, but it has nonetheless averted an irreversible demographic collapse and fundamentally reversed the trend. Since 1980, Hungary’s birth rate had been in steep decline, dropping from 2.2 children per woman in 1978 to just 1.25 in 2010. By 2020, however, it had climbed to a notable 1.6. Without determined policy intervention, what would the birth rate be today? It is estimated that these pro-family measures have contributed to the birth of 250,000 babies over the past fifteen years. With the large-scale expansion of the tax exemption for mothers of two or more children, it is more than plausible that this trend will solidify in the years to come.
It is true that the battle for higher birth rates cannot be won through economic incentives alone. Europe urgently needs a cultural shock to counteract decades of individualist propaganda and legislation that have undermined and devalued the family. With the continent teetering on the edge of demographic collapse, the frivolity and ideological rigidity of political and cultural elites regarding family—and motherhood in particular—are unforgivable. Take Spain, for instance: despite having the second-lowest birth rate in the EU, its government does nothing to promote higher birth rates while simultaneously facilitating abortion for minors and passing an animal welfare law that fines pet owners for leaving their dogs outside supermarkets while shopping. Meanwhile, in Hungary, government policies are reinforced by civil society initiatives and a broader narrative that promotes the family, recognizing it for what it truly is—the cornerstone of society and a source of happiness and stability. This holistic approach has led to a simultaneous decline in divorce and abortion rates alongside rising birth rates. That is why Hungary remains the only country that proudly declares itself “family-friendly.”
As the 16th-century French statesman Jean Bodin once said, “There is no wealth but men.” In Hungary, there is no need for a reminder.
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