At Nordic Insights, we’ve been tracking these levels closely — and once again the trend is unmistakable: fertility keeps falling. Nordic fertility has shifted from “close to 2.0” in 2010 to the mid-1s today. Finland stands out: at 1.25 births per woman in 2024, it has fallen earlier, faster, and further than its Nordic peers.
A regional picture of decline
Across the Nordics, fertility has dropped from near-replacement levels to the mid-1s. Denmark, Norway and Sweden now cluster around 1.43–1.47 children per woman. Iceland remains somewhat higher at 1.56, while Åland (1.58 in 2023) and Greenland (1.77 in 2023) also show marked declines. The Faroe Islands are the high-side outlier at 1.91, but even here fertility is down almost a quarter since 2010. Finland’s one-third drop since the mid-2010s stands out as the defining Nordic shift.
What this means for the Nordics
Replacement level is about 2.1 — well above today’s Nordic figures. With fertility stuck in the mid-1s, natural population decline accelerates unless offset by later births, higher fertility among some groups, or immigration. Policymakers face a dual challenge: making family formation easier through childcare, housing and parental leave — while at the same time preparing labour markets, schools and welfare systems for smaller cohorts and an ageing population.
📌 Fact box: Replacement fertility To keep a population stable without immigration, fertility needs to be around 2.1 children per woman. This “replacement level” allows each generation to replace itself, accounting for child mortality and other demographic factors. At 1.25–1.5, the Nordics are well below that threshold, meaning population ageing and eventual decline unless offset. 🔗 Read more at lex.dk
Source
All figures in this article come from Nordic Statistics — and for further reading on the topic feel free to dive into the article: “Record‑low fertility in the Nordics”: https://www.nordicstatistics.org/news/record-low-fertility-in-the-nordics/
0 Comments