Danish birthrate to drop unexpectedly in 2024

Contrary to expectations, Denmark is on track to have fewer births in 2024 compared to the previous year. According to Danish newspaper Politiken, statistics from Danmarks Statistik reveal that by September, 43,110 live births were recorded, over 500 less than the same period in 2023. The expected fertility rate was also revised down to 1.6 children per woman for 2024, from the previously estimated 1.9 children per woman up until 2030. In 2023, the fertility rate was 1.5, and a slight increase was anticipated for 2024. Rune Lindahl-Jacobsen, a demography professor, predicts the fertility rate might fall to 1.46 this year. Danish fertility peaked in 2008 with nearly 1.9 children per woman, and hasn’t been higher since the 1970s. The government has implemented measures to combat involuntary infertility, including free fertility treatment for a second child. Among Nordic countries, only Iceland had a higher birth rate in 2023.