Economics
A Pandemic Baby Bump Shines a Spotlight on the Nordic Welfare Model
Nations on Europe’s northern rim bucked the trend of plunging fertility rates.
Helsinki
Photographer: Maija Astikainen/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Finland’s government has been working arduously to stem the country’s rapid population decline. Since the 2019 elections, a cabinet run by a millennial woman has produced eight offspring, with two more on the way. Regular Finns have joined in the baby making: The number of live births jumped 6.7% last year, the most in nearly five decades.
Other nations on Europe’s northern rim have experienced their own pandemic baby bumps, making the region of 28 million people an outlier among advanced economies, several of which have seen fertility rates drop to historic lows.