1887
The highest annual count
140,169 live births in the selected record.
Sweden · 1870–2025
The birth curve.
156 annual observations trace how many children were born in Sweden. The long record rises and falls in waves, while a modern fertility lens follows the number of children per woman from 2000.
Explore the record
Annual live births, both sexes combined, with women’s total fertility rate from 2000.
97,491
live births
Sweden in 2025
1.42children per woman in 2025
2010recent fertility peak: 1.98
−28.3%fertility change from the recent peak
01 · 156 years in one glance
Every stripe is a year.
Blue marks a lower annual count, cream sits near the record median, and coral marks a higher count. Hover, tap, or move the year control to inspect the record.
18701900195020002025
Lower 85,020
Higher 140,169
Median 114,374
Colour is centred on the median of this record. It describes count, not whether a year is socially better or worse.
Year lens
2025
97,491live births
1870Drag through time2025
Births and fertility
2025 recorded 97,491 live births.
The 2020s average is calculated from observed years.
02 · The long rhythm
Birth waves rise and fall.
Annual counts retain sharp historical changes, while a trailing 10-year mean reveals the slower demographic rhythm. Filter the time window or hide either line.
1870–2025 · annual live births and trailing 10-year meanHover for exact values · click to set the year lens
1933
The lowest annual count
85,020 live births in the selected record.
2016–2025
A recent decline in counts
−17.0% from the 2016 count to 2025.
03 · The recent fertility turn
A rise, then a sustained decline.
The total fertility rate helps separate annual birth counts from the number of children per woman. The SCB series used here covers women in Sweden from 2000 to 2025.
2000–2025 · women’s total fertility rate and trailing five-year meanHover for exact values · click to set the year lens
2010
Recent peak
1.98 children per woman.
1.42
Latest value
Children per woman in 2025.
−0.56
Change from the peak
−28.3% relative to 2010.
04 · Decades in perspective
Each decade has its own scale.
Each card averages the annual live-birth totals in a decade. Click a card to inspect its range, its change from the preceding decade, and fertility where available.
Selected decade
2020s
The 2020s average is calculated from observed years.
05 · Your comparison
Put two periods side by side.
Choose the measure and two transparent time windows. The result uses simple arithmetic means of the displayed annual values.
The comparison uses simple arithmetic means of annual values.
difference in average annual births
−4,000
The later period had a lower annual mean than the earlier period.
06 · Read responsibly
What the picture can—and cannot—say.
The report is designed to make long-run timing and recent change legible without turning descriptive demographic measures into causal claims.
What is shown
Annual live births in Sweden, boys and girls combined, from 1870 to 2025. Women’s total fertility rate is shown from 2000 to 2025.
Why the measures differ
Birth counts depend both on fertility and on the number and age structure of people who can become parents. TFR is a period measure built from the age-specific fertility rates observed in a given year.
What is not claimed
The visualisation does not explain why fertility changed, forecast future births, or judge higher or lower birth counts as inherently better.
Source: Statistics Sweden (SCB), annual live births and total fertility rate for women. Live-birth table · Fertility table.