There are fewer children born in Norway

BabyBaby.Photo: Norway Today Media

4.2 percent fewer children were born in Norway in the first three quarters of last year, compared to the same period last year.

 

The figures come from Nav’s statistics on child welfare recipients.

A total of 58,890 children were born in Norway in 2016. In the first three quarters of 2017 there were 43,890 children born. Generally, birth rates are lowest in the fourth quarter.

This means that Norway is going to have the lowest number of newborns since the beginning of the 2000s, when the level was at 55,000 births annually. Births in Norway reached a peak in 2009 with around 62,000 newborns, but then the number has fallen by a few hundred annually.

Despite fewer children, the total number of child support recipients is at a stable 673,000. About 81,000 of these are men. The proportion of men has increased from 7.5 percent in 2008 to 12 percent at the end of last year.

This is due, among other things, to an increasing number of foreign nationals with employment in Norway who are entitled to child allowance.

The final birth figures for 2017 will be published by Statistics Norway in March.

 

© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today