LONDON

Sweden has dropped to its lowest birthrate in over 20 years, according to official new statistics.

The figures showed that this January to April, 1.57 children were born per woman, compared to 1.69 children in the same period last year.

Both figures are less than the replacement rate of 2.1 births per woman, and so amount to a falling population.

According to Statistics Sweden, in January to April, the number of births dropped to 35,467 babies, 2,483 fewer than in the same period last year and also the lowest level in the past 20 years.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, when people were mostly homebound, childbearing rose to 1.69 children per woman, but during the first four months of this year, the number of births dropped, according to Statistics Sweden.

In 1999, Sweden had a birthrate of 1.5 children per woman, according to Statistics Sweden.