Rapporteur proposes ways to stop declining birth rate

A report provides an overview of the reasons for the declining birth rate and offers 20 proposals for measures to help people get closer to achieving their desired number of children.

Research Professor Anna Rotkirch of Väestöliitto, the Family Federation of Finland, was commissioned by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health to prepare a report that identifies factors affecting the birth rate and explores possible ways to support having children, said the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health in a press release on Thursday.

The report discusses, among other things, the importance of health policy, education policy and service provision for the birth rate. The proposed measures relate to aspects such as the timing of having children in people’s lives, fertility awareness, support for the management of everyday life and for couples, and services and benefits for families with babies and young children.

According to the report, the prolonged decline in the birth rate is topical not only in Finland but also in Europe and the whole world. The population is ageing and the number of working-age people is decreasing. In Finland, there is a big gap between the average ideal and average actual number of children: the desired number of children is higher than the actual number.

“Studies show that the Finnish family policy has supported both wellbeing and the birth rate and it continues to play an important role. However, the current decline is mainly due to the fact that the number of first births has decreased and the proportion of childless people has grown. This is why policy measures are needed to support family formation,” said Rotkirch.

In June, Minister of Social Security Sanni Grahn-Laasonen appointed a working group to prepare a Population Policy Programme. The task of the working group is to compile short-term and long-term measures that could support people in achieving their desired number of children and improve the birth rate.

In the course of its work, the working group will make use of the report prepared by Rapporteur Anna Rotkirch. It will also consult experts and stakeholders. The Programme is due to be completed by the government’s mid-term policy review session in spring 2025.

“The birth rate in Finland has fallen to a historically low level in recent years. The Government has launched a Population Policy Programme to find ways to stop the decline in the birth rate and to provide support for people seeking to act on their wishes to have children. We understand that the policy measures for this are limited in such a private area of life, but the rapporteur’s proposals introduce a much needed concrete aspect to the discussion on the birth rate. We need hope,” said Minister of Social Security Sanni Grahn-Laasonen.

“We are already taking concrete action. The Government will today submit a proposal for restoring and significantly increasing Kela reimbursements for fertility treatments,” Grahn-Laasonen, added.

The working group consist of representatives from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Ministry of Finance and the Prime Minister’s Office. It also includes experts from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, the Finnish Centre for Pensions, the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela) and Statistics Finland.

The working group is chaired by Director General Liisa Siika-aho from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.