In this paper, we leverage newly available rich administrative data to study the heterogeneous evolution of fertility and newborn health during the pandemic. Differently from national-level official statistics, the administrative data provided by the Tuscany Regional Health Agency make it possible to study fertility behaviour for different socio-economic groups based on several parental characteristics.
We find a decline in the number of births relative to the pre-pandemic trend in late 2020 and early 2021; starting in March 2021, birth numbers consistently exceeded the pre-pandemic trend. This aggregate increase conceals significant heterogeneity across sociodemographic groups, with positive deviations entirely driven by native, educated, and employed parents. During the same period, newborn health indicators showed no signs of deterioration.
