Non-Western immigrant women have fewer children

Non-Western immigrant women in Denmark are having fewer children than ethnic Danish women, reporting an average of 1.4 children compared to 1.6 for Danish-origin women in 2023, according to a new report from Statistics Denmark. Professor Christian Albrekt Larsen of Aalborg University notes this as a surprising shift given that traditionally, non-Western immigrants had higher birth rates. The number of children born to non-Western immigrant women has more than halved over the past 30 years, from an average of 3.4 children in 1993. Research professor Peter Fallesen attributes the decline to cultural adaptation to the welfare state, economic challenges, and political measures. To maintain its population, Denmark requires an average of 2.1 children per woman, but the current rate is 1.5.