Nicosia, November 17, 2025
Photo: kathimerini.com
The Church of Cyprus announced on Thursday that it will provide financial assistance to families with three or more children in an effort to address the island’s falling birth rate. Archbishop Georgios of Cyprus declared the start of the Church of Cyprus Plan to Address Low Birth Rates, which will begin retroactive implementation from January 1, 2025, with applications accepted nationwide through an online portal.
The initiative comes as Cyprus faces significant demographic challenges. The country’s crude birth rate stood at around 10.8 per 1,000 population in 2023, with a total fertility rate of approximately 1.4 births per woman. Recent estimates suggest the birth rate has declined further to 9.28 per 1,000 population in 2024. This represents a continuation of a long-term trend, as the total fertility rate has been falling since reaching a peak of 2.5 in 1982 and has remained below the replacement level of 2.1 since 1995. Additionally, in 2023, 23% of children born in Cyprus were to foreign-born mothers.
Under the Church’s program, families will receive financial benefits for children born on or after January 1, 2025, who are the third or subsequent child in the family. The benefits include 1,500 euros upon the child’s Baptism, 1,000 euros at enrollment in primary school, 1,000 euros at enrollment in middle school, and 1,000 euros at enrollment in high school, reports the Orthodoxia News Agency.
Families will also receive annual vouchers worth 100 euros for Pascha and 100 euros for Christmas until the child reaches 18 years of age.
To qualify for the program, at least one parent must be Orthodox and hold Cypriot citizenship. The family must permanently reside in Cyprus and have been married in the Church.
According to projections, the Archbishopric expects to spend 72 million euros from 2025 to 2039. For 2025 alone, expenditures are estimated at 2 million euros.
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