Newborns in one of the world’s happiest countries are at their lowest since Sweden began recording births in 1749.
On average, Swedish women give birth to 1.45 children, the lowest number since measurements began in 1749.
Sweden has seen a downward trend in happiness among native-born and foreign-born women since 2010, despite the country ranking fourth in the World Happiness Report earlier this week.
Guadalupe Andersson, population statistician at the Statistics Sweden government agency, SCB, said in a statement that last year’s births were the lowest since 2003 and the number of children born per woman was the lowest in Sweden’s history.
So far in 2024, the curve continues to go downwards.
Sweden’s population is on its way to a new low. Fewer babies were born in January than at the start of 2023, the year with the lowest number of births. Women say they are hesitant to become parents because of most of the climate problems and unrest in the world.
In 2023, 26 municipalities had fewer than 40 children born. The municipality of Dorotea in the north of the country had the fewest births, with only eight children. However, Malmo in the south of Sweden had the largest decrease in the number of children born.
Consequences are seen already, because pre-schools are forced to close, and in the long term, fewer able-bodied people will support a larger elderly population.
