Population growth improves during pandemic year

The COVID-19 pandemic may have improved the population prospects of Finland, reported Xinhua, quoting a government press release said Wednesday.

During 2020, the decline in the Finnish birth rate seems to have stopped and net immigration has stabilized, said Anna Rotkirch, research professor at the Finnish Family Federation.

The fertility rate of women rose to 1.37 from 1.35 in 2019, Statistics Finland reported earlier.

However, the report commissioned by the government from Rotkirch also expressed concern about the future and urged a comprehensive approach to demographics.

During the 2010s, the Finnish population development broke away from the general Nordic trend. Finland had the slowest rate of population growth in the Nordics, and the total fertility rate decreased to less than 1.4 children per woman on average.

The report urged that Finland should promote balanced demographic development by supporting wellbeing, family-friendliness, and human resources throughout the course of life.

According to Statistics Finland's preliminary data, Finland's population was 5,537,046 at the end of January.