Swiss fertility rate drops

Swiss population data from 2011 was recently released and shows that the country’s fertility rate is decreasing.

The fertility rate decreased from 1.54 children per woman in 2010 to 1.49 children per woman in 2011.

The drop is believed to be fueled by a decrease is the number of births to Swiss foreign nationals.  Their fertility rate dropped from 1.9 children born to 1.75 over the same timeframe.  The Swiss national rates remained stable at 1.42.

The total number of babies born saw only a modest increase, suggesting a plateau in births.

Interestingly, the average age of first-time moms increased from 31.2 in 2010 to 31.4 in 2011.

The effects of foreign nationals also seems to be effecting marriage rates.  For example, while the Swiss national marriage rate remained stable, the rate for foreign nationals dropped 4.1% from 2010.