Birth rate in Switzerland hits new low

Birth rate in Switzerland at a new low Keystone-SDA

The average number of children per woman in Switzerland has fallen to 1.29, its lowest level since records began. The desire to have children is also declining.

+Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox

According to the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) on Monday, the number of births of third children in particular has fallen in recent years: by 13.6% in 2024. First births also fell by 8.5% between 2019 and 2024 and second births by 9%.

The births of fourth and subsequent children fell by 5.8% in the same period. According to the FSO, the overall birth rate of women aged 35 to 39 has been higher than that of women aged 25 to 29 over the past ten years.

The desire to have children has also decreased significantly in recent years among people aged 20 to 29, the report continued. in 2023, 17% of people wanted to remain childfree. In 2013 it was still 6% and in 2018 just under 8%. Among 30- to 39-year-olds, this figure rose from 9% to 16% over the same period.

+Fertility rates plummet in Switzerland – and beyond

The desire to have two children is still the most common. According to the FSO, the desired number of children hardly changed across different population groups. There is hardly any difference between women and men, and there are also only minor differences according to level of education, language region or between urban and rural areas. Only people without a stable partnership are more likely not to want to have children.

Children influence enjoyment of life

According to the FSO, in 2023, 41% of 20- to 39-year-olds assumed that having a child would have a positive influence on their enjoyment of life, compared to 21% who feared a negative influence.

+ How do ‘baby boxes’ work in Switzerland?

In terms of career, around half expect negative consequences. Fears about career prospects have remained constant in recent years, while expectations regarding enjoyment and satisfaction in life have worsened significantly.

For more than half of 20- to 39-year-olds, the quality of their relationship with their partner determines whether a couple would like to have a child. The financial situation also plays an important role, wrote the FSO. In recent years, the division of housework and childcare between the parents has also become increasingly important.

Translated from German by DeepL/ts

How we work 

We select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools to translate them into English. A journalist then reviews the translation for clarity and accuracy before publication.  

Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. The news stories we select have been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team from news agencies such as Bloomberg or Keystone.

If you have any questions about how we work, write to us at [e-mail]