2025-12-04 20:00
publication
2025-12-04 20:00
Fewer children are being born in Sweden, and the average age of women giving birth for the first time has increased to over 30, according to a report by the government's Health and Welfare Board published on Thursday.
In 2024, 99,000 people were born in Sweden. children and this is the lowest number of newborns since 2003.
– The number of births per thousand women aged 15-49 dropped to 41.8, which is the lowest level since 1973, when this type of data began to be collected, emphasized statistician Mikael Ohlin.
In Sweden, the average age of mothers giving birth for the first time is 30.1 years. In Stockholm, this group is the oldest, the average age is 31.5.
According to the Health and Social Care Council, the decline in birth rates is accompanied by an increase in risk factors in pregnant women. – This poses increasing challenges to both maternal health care and maternity care – noted Prof. Aengla Mantel from the Karolinska Institute and consultant to the council. The percentage of women who are overweight or obese has almost doubled since the early 1990s.
In Sweden, the fertility rate in 2024 was 1.43 and was the lowest since 1751, despite an extensive social security system and a network of kindergartens. Due to the alarming statistics, the government commissioned a group of experts from various fields to prepare a report. The conclusions of the analysis are to be presented in mid-2026 and will identify obstacles and propose specific solutions.
Anna Bjoerklund, author of popular podcasts, appointed to this group, believes that the reason for the decline in fertility may be the coming of age of the first generation raised on the Internet. According to the expert, children may be considered distracting.
From Stockholm Daniel Zyśk (PAP)
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