Birth rates in Norway have decreased for the seventh year in a row.
Last month we could read the news that the birth rates in Norway have decreased for the seventh year in a row. A birth rate of 2.1 per woman is needed to keep population numbers constant. In Norway, the figure is now down to 1.71, having dropped every year since 2009.
One of the problems is that women wait much longer before they start having children, one expert stated. The average age of first-time parents of both genders is also increasing, according to figures released by Statistics Norway. The proportion of those having more children is falling. Without immigration Norway would not be able to grow and would be faced with a serious problem in getting the young population to serve the growing number of senior citizens. Despite the decreasing birth rate, population is in fact increasing in Norway, due to longer life expectancies and immigration.
