Birth rates in Norway are increasing after the corona year of 2020

In Norway, 1,157 more children were born in the first half of this year than at the same time last year. Sogn og Fjordane tops the list with over 37% more births.

In Nordland, too, the number of births increased by almost 20%. At Lofoten Hospital, almost twice as many births have been registered in the first half of this year compared to the same time last year.

A total of 27,471 births were registered from January to June, compared with 26,314 births in the same period last year, according to figures NTB has obtained from the health trusts. That is an increase of 4.4%.

Statistics Norway surprised

The increase is surprising, demographer Astrid Syse at Statistics Norway (SSB) says.

“In financially uncertain times and in times of crisis, it is usually the case that people often postpone having children,” Syse told NTB.

The SSB expected that the trend of declining birth rates would not reverse until 2023–2024. Syse also points out that the age of first-time mothers has increased.

“Maybe there are not that many who can wait,” she noted. 

Regional differences

People in Sogn og Fjordane have been the most “busy” during the corona year. At Helse Førde, the number of births has risen from 363 in the first half of last year to 498 this year, an increase of as much as 37.2%.

Also, in the north of Norway, many have used the corona period to expand their families. 

At Nordland Hospital, the birth rate has increased by almost 20% compared to last year. UNN in Tromsø has counted almost 11% more births, while Helgeland Hospital registered 9.5% more births.

Decrease in Finnmark

In Finnmark, however, it is the opposite. There, the birth rate in the first half of this year has fallen by more than 7% compared to last year.

At Sykehuset Innlandet, fewer children were born in the first half of this year than last year, with 1,252 births compared to 1,330 last year, a decrease of 5.9%.

Ahus, St. Olav in Trondheim, Sørlandet Hospital, and Helse Fonna, on the other hand, registered a solid increase of between 6.5% and 9.5%.

At the other health trusts, only minor changes were registered.

2020 birth rates

The birth rate in 2020 was the lowest ever recorded in Norway. According to the SSB, 42.8 children were born per 1,000 women, which is a decrease of 2.9% from the previous year.

Nevertheless, this year’s rise has already passed last year’s decline.

Last year, 52,979 children were born in Norway, compared to 54,495 in 2019 and 55,100 in 2018.

Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews

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