Finland‘s birth rate stood at the lowest level in statistical history last year, with an overall fertility rate of just 1.25, according to Statistics Finland.
This is the lowest birth rate since records began in 1776, according to the data, with a total of 43,720 children born during the year.
Regional variations
Birth rates varied by region, with the lowest fertility rate seen in Kymenlaakso (1.06), followed by North Karelia (1.11) and South Karelia (1.14). The highest fertility rates, meanwhile, were found in Central Ostrobothnia (1.72), Ostrobothnia (1.48), and North Ostrobothnia (1.47)
Taken over a three-year period, from 2021 to 2024, the highest fertility rates were recorded in Luoto (3.64), Pyhäntä (3.52), Merijärvi (2.81), and Tyrnävä (2.77), and lowest in Joensuu (1.04), Turku (1.06), Tampere (1.06) and Savonlinna (1.08).
Close to a fifth (18%) of all children born in Finland in 2024 were born to mothers that speak a foreign language, the data showed.
In terms of the typical age of Finnish fathers, 85% were aged under 40, with almost all (99%) aged under 50, during the period from 2020 to 2024.
As of the end of March 2025, Finland’s population stood at 5,640,437, with the population growing by 4,466 during the first three months of the year, largely through immigration.
Finland isn’t the only EU country to report a declining birth rate – recent data from Belgium showed that the birth rate declined by 4.6% in 2024, compared to a recent average, while in France, the birth rate has fallen by 2.2%, according to Insee data. Read more here.
