Finland’s fertility rate drops to historic low

Finnish women gave birth to an average of 1.32 children in 2022, the lowest fertility rate since the figures were first recorded in 1776, according to a new report by Statistics Finland.

While the fertility rate in Finland saw a slight increase because of the pandemic in 2020, the country’s fertility rate went from 1.46 children per woman on average in 2021 to 1.32 in 2022. Back in 2010, the fertility rate was as high as 1.87.

Reasons for the trend include societal and cultural factors, such as most couples not wanting to have more than one child.

While the proportion of first-born babies among newborns slightly increased from just under 41% in 2018 to 43% in 2022, the number of second and third-born children decreased.

At the same time, almost half (49%) of the children are now born out of wedlock – in the 1980s, it was less than 13%, and in the 1990s, the figure already went up to 39%.

However, older parents aged 45-49 birthed more children in 2022 than in 2021, though the increase of 185 children was very slight.

While the birth rate dropping to record lows has surprised researchers, it will also likely affect ongoing negotiations in forming the next government as the expected population decrease from the 2030s is something future governments will have to grapple with, particularly when deciding on the future of pensions, immigration, healthcare and education.

For example, Nordea Bank economist Juho Kostiainen predicts that by 2030 the number of primary school children aged 7-16 will drop by 20%, though the wildest and most pessimistic predictions suggest the last Finn will be born sometime in the 2060s.

(Pekka Vänttinen, Daniel Eck | EURACTIV.com)