translate English to French: Natural growth is slowing down throughout the Union The signiﬁcant reduction in fertility rates (the average number of children per woman declined from an average of 2.5 in the EU in 1965 to 1.5 in 1995), which underlies the slow-down in population growth, began in the 1960s in northern Europe and spread some 10 years later to the southern countries and some 20 years later to central and eastern countries.
QUATRIEME RAPPORT SUR LA COHESION ECONOMIQUE ET SOCIALE