Rising house prices are having an impact on the Dutch birth rate, as families put off having children in areas with the most expensive homes, a new report suggests.

Women in regions where the average price is €450,000 were 10.4% less likely to have children than those living in places where houses cost €200,000, according to the official statistics agency CBS.

Analysis by the CBS and demographic research bureau of the trend between 2013 and 2023 also revealed a growing divide between people living in rented housing and homeowners.

Tenants in the most expensive areas were 8.4% less likely to have children, but among women living in their own homes the birth rate was 5.1% higher.

The figures also show the gap widening as house prices increase. The proportion of women in rental homes having children falls from 4.1% to 3.7% as prices rise from €200,000 to €450,000, but for homeowners the incidence rises from 6.9% to 7.2%.

The CBS said the figures showed how the housing market affected people’s ability to have families. People living in more expensive areas found it harder to make the shift from renting to buying and there is a shortage of family-sized homes to rent.

In earlier research, childless couples under 40 were four times more likely to say they wanted to move but were unable to find somewhere suitable if they were living in rental housing.