Decline in fertility for immigrant women

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In 2018, the total fertility rate (TFR) for immigrant women was 1.87 per woman - the lowest ever. The fertility rate for all women in Norway was 1.56.

Written by: Espen Andersen

The total fertility rate (TRF) for women in Norway has declined in recent years. The fertility rate for immigrants has traditionally been higher than the rest of the population and has contributed to pulling the total fertility rate up by 0.04-0.07. The fertility rate for women without an immigrant background was 1.50 in 2018, according to new figures from Births .

Norwegian-born to immigrant parents are a group consisting of a large proportion of young people, but an increasing number of women in this group have now reached the age where it is natural to have children. In 2018, the TFR for Norwegian-born women with immigrant parents was 1.48.

1 The group includes Norwegian-born to immigrant parents for the period 2001-2010

Figure 1 Total fertility rate (TRF) by immigrant category

1998 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
All women 1.81 1.85 1.78 1.75 1.80 1.83 1.84 1.90 1.90 1.96 1.98 1.95 1.88 1.85 1.78 1.76 1.73 1.71 1.62 1.56
Immigrants 2.36 2.54 2.33 2.32 2.36 2.35 2.34 2.37 2.31 2.25 2.26 2.29 2.12 2.05 1.98 1.95 1.94 1.92 1.93 1.87
Norwegian-born to immigrant parents 1.60 1.66 1.54 1.61 1.52 1.62 1.54 1.48
Other women¹ 1.73 1.69 1.73 1.77 1.77 1.84 1.84 1.91 1.93 1.91 1.85 1.83 1.76 1.73 1.70 1.67 1.56 1.50

Decline in fertility for immigrant women from Africa

There are significant variations in fertility between women from different continents, but fertility is in general higher for immigrant women compared with women born in Norway.

Women who have emigrated from Africa have traditionally been the most fertile, but they have also had a significant decline in fertility in recent years. In 2018, the TFR for immigrant women from Africa was 2.55, a decrease from 3.06 in 2011. The fertility rate for immigrant women from Asia and the EU/EEA countries was 1.86 and 1.66 respectively. It is important to emphasise that the fertility rate for continents, and especially for countries, can be characterised by random variations from one year to another.

Figure 2. Total fertility rate (TRF) immigrant woman by country background

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
All women 1.88 1.85 1.78 1.76 1.73 1.71 1.62 1.56
Immigrants 2.14 2.07 2 1.97 1.96 1.94 1.93 1.87
Europe: EU and EEA-countries 1.99 1.88 1.83 1.78 1.77 1.75 1.7 1.66
Rest of Europe 2.03 1.93 1.94 1.99 2.03 2.03 1.81 1.85
Asia including Turkey 2.04 2.03 1.94 1.9 1.9 1.83 1.93 1.86
Africa 3.06 3.04 2.8 2.81 2.78 2.81 2.78 2.55
South and Central America 2.11 1.84 1.95 1.77 1.62 1.6 1.57 1.55
North America and Oceania 1.81 1.91 2.03 1.76 1.93 1.73 1.61 1.61

Women from Syria and Eritrea have high fertility

The TFR for women from Syria and Eritrea was 3.51 and 3.27 respectively in 2018. A large proportion of the immigrants from these countries have a short period of residence in Norway. It is common for refugee women to have children shortly after they settle in Norway. Also, the fertility of women from these countries has decreased compared to 2017. Immigrant women from Somalia are also a group that has traditionally had high fertility. In 2018, the TFR for Somali women was 2.42, a decrease of 0.41 compared to 2017. Immigrant women from Poland, Lithuania and Sweden also have higher fertility rates than women who have not immigrated to Norway.

Figure 3. Total fertility rate (TRF) immigrant women by country background. Selected contries. 2017-2018

2017 2018
Syria 3.78 3.51
Eritrea 3.43 3.27
Somalia 2.83 2.42
Afghanistan 2.28 2.09
Iraq 1.99 1.98
Sweden 1.81 1.87
Poland 1.82 1.78
Lithuania 1.81 1.71
Germany 1.51 1.45

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