HELSINKI – Finland saw the smallest number of live births in 150 years, cutting short a nascent positive trend that had emerged during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The upturn in the birth rate during 2020 and 2021 interrupted a long-term slide.

However, it turned out to have been “short-lived” and was followed by a “sharp decline”, said Chief Actuary Joonas Toivola at Statistics Finland.