Radio | News week in plain Finnish | Saturday 13.9.2025

Declining birth rate in Finland

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Declining birth rate in Finland

The topic of the news week is the decline in the birth rate in Finland.

Fewer children are being born in Finland now than ever before.

It is difficult for municipalities to organize services when the number of children decreases.

For example, the number of schools may decrease significantly. We will now talk more about the decline in the birth rate and its effects.

A 24-hour-old baby wrapped in a colorful blanket next to its mother.

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The decline in the birth rate has continued for a long time. Photo: Jarkko Riikonen / Yle

Birth rate

The fertility rate in Finland is now 1.25. This means that one woman has an average of 1.25 children.

The birth rate was almost 1.8 for a long time, but it has dropped to 1.25.

The birth rate has been declining for a long time. However, during the last 12 months, the birth rate has increased slightly again.

Schools

The decline in the birth rate is reflected in schools. There are fewer students than before.

Municipalities need to think about how they will be able to organize schools and other services when the birth rate is declining.

The number of schools is decreasing because the number of children is decreasing.

Many children’s journeys to school will become longer as the number of schools decreases. More money will be spent on school transportation.

Researchers say the number of schools could decrease by up to 50 percent.

Uusimaa is the only province where the number of schoolchildren is not decreasing.

In Uusimaa, the number of children with an immigrant background is increasing in schools because the number of children with an ethnic Finnish background is not increasing.

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Many young people are putting off having children because the future is uncertain. Photo: Silja Viitala / Yle

Reasons

There are many reasons for the decline in the birth rate.

Uncertainty about the future worries many young people.

The economic situation has been poor for a long time in Finland and around the world.

There are many crises in the world.

Working life is demanding and combining work and family can seem difficult.

Differences in birth rate

The birth rate is lowest in large cities and university towns.

Outside of these areas and in rural areas, the birth rate is slightly better.

The birth rate has not decreased to the same extent in all language groups.

The lowest birth rate is among Finnish speakers.

The birth rate is higher among Swedish-speaking people and people with a foreign language background, i.e. people with an immigrant background.

Municipalities have a difficult task of thinking about how to organize services as the population ages and families have different needs.

School building and yard.

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The number of schools is decreasing when there are not enough children in all schools. Photo: Tapio Termonen / Yle

Repetition

The topic of the news week was the decline in the birth rate in Finland.

The birth rate affects municipal services and the economy. The number of schools is decreasing because the number of children is decreasing.

There are big differences between different regions. Municipalities have a difficult task of finding ways to organize services for the entire population.

This was a news week in plain Finnish. See you again, let’s hear from you!