The declining birth rate in Finland from 2010 to the present has been a noticeable demographic trend. While I did not have access to real-time data beyond September 2021 while writing this.
Declining Birth Rate in Finland (2010-2021):
- Overall Decline: Like many other developed countries, Finland has experienced a decline in its birth rate over the past decade. This decline has been attributed to a combination of economic, social, and cultural factors.
- Age of First-Time Mothers: One notable trend has been the increasing age of first-time mothers. Many women in Finland have been postponing childbirth to pursue higher education, establish careers, and achieve financial stability before starting a family.
- Family Size: Families in Finland have generally been having fewer children. Couples often choose to have one or two children, and larger families have become less common.
- Urbanization: Urbanization has also played a role, with more people living in urban areas where the cost of living can be higher. The challenges of finding affordable housing and maintaining a work-life balance in urban settings may influence family planning decisions.
- Gender Equality and Career Aspirations: Finland's strong emphasis on gender equality and women's rights has led to increased opportunities for women in the workforce and higher education. This, in turn, may contribute to delayed childbearing as women prioritize their careers and personal aspirations.
- Supportive Social Policies: Finland's well-developed social welfare system, including comprehensive parental leave, childcare support, and other family-friendly policies, may have helped mitigate some of the decline in birth rates. However, these policies have not entirely offset the trend.
- Aging Population: The declining birth rate in Finland contributes to an aging population, which has implications for labor force dynamics, social welfare programs, and healthcare services.
It's important to note that birth rates can vary from year to year and may be influenced by a range of factors, including economic conditions, government policies, cultural attitudes, and more. Fact is that the moving trend to bigger cities has been ongoing for last 20 years and getting faster among younger generations. Issues with the moving and preferance on balancing work and personal life, career, want for travelling and eperiencing life without burdens has definitely made and effect that we can see on the graphic above.
If you are planning to move to Finland you will see a vast variety of jobs offered on taking care the elderly, maintaining premises and xtaking care of the manual labour jobs. Finland needs new workforce to fulfill the gaps, from Finland or outside.