Finland birth rate rose modestly in 2025, with the total fertility rate (TFR) increasing to 1.30 from 1.25 a year earlier, according to preliminary data published by Statistics Finland (Tilastokeskus). The improvement came alongside continued population growth driven mainly by net migration, not by a return to natural increase.
Finland’s birth rate ticks up, while deaths remain high
Statistics Finland’s preliminary figures show 45,835 births in 2025, 2,115 more than in 2024. The TFR—the number of children a woman would have over her lifetime if age-specific birth rates stayed at the level of the year measured—rose to 1.30, after hitting 1.25 in 2024.
At the same time, 59,030 people died in 2025, 763 more than the year before. That left Finland with a natural decrease of 13,195 people (more deaths than births), underlining that the country is still far from reversing long-term demographic pressure.
Population growth still relies on net migration
Finland’s population increased by 20,929 people in 2025, reaching 5,656,900 at the end of the year. With the country recording a sizable natural decrease, the net gain was sustained by net migration of 34,852.
Total immigration reached 50,060 in 2025—one of the highest levels since 1990—while emigration stood at 15,208. Even so, immigration declined compared with 2024, continuing a downward trend in inflows after the exceptionally high levels seen earlier in the decade.
Why a small rise does not change the bigger picture
A TFR of 1.30 remains well below the level typically associated with long-term population replacement. Finland’s 2024 fertility rate was the lowest in the country’s statistical history, and the 2025 increase, while notable, still leaves the indicator among the lowest ever recorded.
For policymakers, the combination of low fertility, ageing, and reliance on migration keeps the focus on how to fund pensions and healthcare, how to maintain labour supply, and how to support families who want children in a context shaped by housing costs, job insecurity, and the cost of everyday life.
