A new report from Statistics Iceland shows that Iceland’s fertility rate in 2017 was 1.71, down from 1.75 in 2016. In fact, the total fertility rate in the country has never been so low. According to the report, Iceland’s total fertility rate peaked in the middle of the 20th century: in 1959, it was 4.24 and in 1960, it was 4.27.
Last year, there were 4,071 live births in Iceland– 2,112 boys and 1,959 girls. The majority of births occurred in and around Reykjavík, with 1,536 in the capital itself, 441 in Kópavogur, and 360 in Hafnarfjörður. Most babies were born during August (379) and the fewest were born in February (278).
The average age of mothers in Iceland has gone up in recent years. As of last year, the median age of an individual bearing their first or only child was 27.8, whereas in the 1970s, most first-time mothers were under 22.
Another interesting finding is that 71% of children born in Iceland in 2017 were born out of wedlock. Although this number is high, most of these children were born to parents who were unmarried but in a “consensual union.” Only 14.8% of children were born to parents who were not living together.
See the full report (in English) here.
