Childbirth in Sweden is plummeting – but no one can say why

0
106

Published 4 December 2022 at 08.12

Domestic. Fewer children have been born in Sweden in 2022 than in many years, statistics from Statistics Norway show. However, the Statistics Authority has no answers as to what this is due to.

Like the article på Facebook

According to Statistics Sweden's quarterly statistics, 81,550 live babies were born in Sweden between January and September this year.

– Not since 2005 have fewer children been born in Sweden during the first nine months of the year. That year, roughly 78,000 children were born between January and September. At the same time, it may be worth mentioning that the total population has grown by almost 1.5 million inhabitants since then, says Rasmus Andersson, population statistician at Statistics Sweden.

Also read: The alarm: Childbirth drops drastically after vaccination

< p>Compared to the corresponding period last year, the number of newborns has decreased by 7.7 percent this year.

– This year, the birth rate has decreased in 207 of the country's 290 municipalities compared to January–September 2021, says Rasmus Andersson in a press release and continues:

– In 30 municipalities, so few children have ever been born in the 21st century , which is as far back as our quarterly statistics stretch. These include larger municipalities such as Lund, Luleå and Täby, and smaller municipalities such as Malå, Ydre and Övertorneå.

In a further 42 municipalities, the number of newborns during the first nine months of the year is the lowest at at least 15 year. Then the number is the lowest in 10–14 years in 24 more municipalities.

Rasmus Andersson mentions a few examples:

– In Linköping and Karlstad, the number of newborns is the lowest since 2004. In Stockholm, the number is the lowest since 2005. In Södertälje, Örebro and Norrköping since 2006. In Jönköping and Gothenburg since 2007 and in Malmö since 2008.

“Decreased fertility”
A trend in the country as a whole is that women are giving birth to fewer and fewer children. The total fertility decreases.

Total fertility rate is a demographic measure that shows how many children a woman is expected to give birth to on average during her lifetime. Since it is based on how many children are actually born, it can change from year to year – and therefore gives a good picture of population development.

– At the beginning of the 2000s, the total fertility rate in Sweden rose. From 1.5 children per woman in 2000 to 2.0 in 2010. Since then it has dropped and last year it was 1.7 children per woman, says Vitor Miranda, demographer at Statistics Sweden.

Fertility in Sweden has historically varied over time. It is influenced, among other things, by economic cycles, levels of education, participation in working life and various social factors such as changes in family policy.

– But in recent years there has been a boom in Sweden, and no political decisions have been made which should have driven down childbearing. Despite this, childbearing has continued to decline. The research doesn't have a good answer as to why, but historically the downturn should be followed by an upswing. However, when it will come is difficult to predict, says Vitor Miranda.