An important subject of debate for both the Europeans and those having an interest in one of the world’s truly enigmatic continents pertains to the population debate about Northern Europe. And where it stands at present, then the subject of the population decline in Finland is going to strongly impact the famous Nordic nation.
At a time where much of Finland is evidencing a slew of bright developments, with the rise of start-ups concerned with technology, apparels, trading, on the one hand, being a harbinger of great news just as the country stands to gain on the contours of wildlife and tourism, on the other, there comes a fresh new concern for a nation with no more than 5.4 million people.
According to fresh data, the biggest challenge for the land often described as a bedrock of countless lakes, the population decline in Finland is going to harangue the country in the course of the future.
But that said, it ought to be asked, just how serious is going to be the issue of the population decline in Finland? Well, on that count, here’s a look at what the numbers suggest:
According to “Statistics Finland’s” latest projection- the country’s population will head for a decline come the year 2031. Now, truth be told, there already exists, without a freckle of doubt, the concern surrounding low birth rates in Finland. In fact, it may not be entirely untrue to construe that the Nordic countries are already known for their notoriety surrounding low birth rates.
And now, on top of that, this latest line of concern from Finland!
A local news media based in Europe shared the following, delving in detail about the concern-generating finding by Statistics Finland:
Statistics Finland’s projection, published on Monday, gives backing to often heard predictions that the country’s population will soon go into decline. The agency now says that if the birth rate remains at the current level there will be no region in Finland where births exceed deaths in 15 years.
Based on current development, Finland’s population will start decreasing in 2031. In 2050, the population would be some 100,000 lower than today.
In addition to the above, here’s something worth pondering about. Even if one were to ignore the population growth of 2019, then it doesn’t inspire much confidence to note that back in 2018, the population of Finland grew in only four regions. These were located in “Mainland Finland” and the regions of the Autonomous Aland Islands.
YLE, among the best-known Finnish news media portals, highlighted the concern regarding population decline in Finland and shared the following:
According to the projection, the population will grow only in the regions of Uusimaa and Pirkanmaa, and in Åland in 2035. By 2040, the population in mainland Finland is likely to show growth only in the region of Uusimaa, and there only due to migration gain.
These projections are based on the assumption that the birth rate will remain steady, with 43,000-45,000 children being born annually during the period of 2020-2040. As recently as 2010 the annual number of births was around 60,000.
Now, what’s worrying is that in the course of the future, the small rural communities of Finland may only evidence a few births per year. Take the small municipality of Luhanka, for instance, where the number crunchers have already suggested that only “two babies” will be born this year.
But it’s not that the municipalities aren’t going to take any positive development to attend the critical situation of population decline in Finland. Luhanka, in Central Finland, has already promised the parents a sum of 10,000 euros for every child born.
But still, nothing can deny the fact that for a nation that comprises not even 6 million people, the concern of population decline in Finland comes across as a major red herring!