Belgian mothers give birth in the summer, on Tuesday

Mothers in Belgium give birth most often in the summer months of June, July, August and September. In terms of days of the week, Tuesday is the "most popular" day to give birth in Belgium, according to statistics from the FPS Economy.

The federal department published the results of the study, titled 'Happy birthday!', which examined birthing trends in Belgium over the last five years. During the period, there was an annual peak in the number of summer births, with about 11,000 children born on average each month. The months with the lowest birth numbers were February (with fewer days), November, December, March and April.

The study also reveals that the birth rate in Belgium is on a downward trend, with less children born each year: 129,173 in 2010, 127,655 in 2011, 126,993 in 2012, 124,862 in 2013 and 124,415 in 2014. There were an average of 354 births per day in 2010, compared to 341 births per day in 2014.

In the five-year period, about 9.5% of the babies were born on Saturdays and Sundays, but Tuesdays were peak days, with 16.8% of the births.