Sofía, born in Marbella at 12.37am, is Malaga province's first 2026 baby
After her came Asier, born at 12.47am, and then Jesús, born in Malaga city at 1.57am
Sofía, born at 12.37am on 1 January, is the first baby of 2026 in Malaga province. Her father, Daniel, told SUR: "We wanted her to be born in the new year but we didn't know if we could make it."
Little Sofía came into the world at Hospital Universitario Costa del Sol in Marbella. According to Daniel, who is now working through an avalanche of warm and happy messages, she appeared "with a smile". Sofía's mother, Carlota, ate her 12 grapes between contractions and toasted with a non-alcoholic drink shortly before seeing her daughter's face for the first time.
"What was really special was when the whole team came in to wish us a Happy New Year and cheer us up," Daniel said, grateful to the healthcare team that looked after them and made sure their "unique" experience went smoothly. "It was a different kind of New Year's Eve, but the professionalism of the midwifery team is what made it so special. Not only because of the way Bianca and her team treated us, but also because they made the moment so natural," he said. "The birth went well, she was born healthy and strong. She is a little light in weight, but we know that she will gain strength very soon. We can't wait to go home and start this new adventure."
The second baby of 2026 in the province is Asier, son of Ainhoa and Alejandro, who was born in Hospital de la Axarquía at 12.47am. He weighed 2.120 kilos and measured 44 centimetres.
The first baby of Malaga city - Jesús, son of Barbara and Luis - came a bit later. He was born in Hospital Materno Infantil at 01.57am, weighing 2.930 kilograms and measuring 50 centimetres. There were still no births in the hospitals of Antequera and Ronda by the evening of the first day of the year.
Andalucía's first baby was born at midnight. Cloe, daughter of María José and Francisco Javier, was born in the capital of the province of Huelva, weighing 3.250 kilograms.
A change in the birth rate trend?
It is still too early to tell whether 2025 ended with more or fewer births than 2024. The decreasing birth rate has been the trend in recent years, not only in Malaga but throughout Spain as a whole. However, the population that the province continues to attract has helped soften the decline and could even end up reversing the trend. According to birth estimates from Spain's national institute of statistics, 9,862 babies were born in the province up to 31 October 2025, 122 more than in the same period in 2024. We now have to add the births from November and December to know whether 2025 marks a turning point in Malaga's birth rate.
According to the regional government of Andalucía, there were 36,562 births in Andalusian public hospitals from 30 November to the end of the year. In the whole of 2024, the number of births attended in Andalusian public healthcare was 48,045, compared to the 48,558 recorded in 2023. By provinces, between January and November 2025, Almeria recorded 4,401 births, Cadiz 5,106, Cordoba 3,053, Granada 4,914, Huelva 2,464, Jaén 2,705, Malaga 6,646 and Seville 7,273. In 2024 as a whole, Almeria registered 5,949 births, Cadiz 6,827, Cordoba 3,775, Granada 6,333, Huelva 3,217, Jaén 3,742, Malaga 8,589 and Seville 9,613.
