The number of births in Finland between January and September hit a record low since measurements began in 1900. Finland has one of the lowest birth rates in the world.
According to preliminary statistics from Statistics Finland, 34,227 children were born from the start of the year through September, marking a decrease of 3,539 births from the previous year.
On the other hand, the number of deaths was the highest for the same period since death statistics began in 1945 with 46,111 people dying.
Finland had experienced a slight uptick in births during the pandemic, with birth figures from 2021 having increased by 7.1 percent.
Immigration fuels population growth.
However, Finland's population grew by almost 11,000 people due to immigration.
Earlier this year, net immigration was already at a record high according to senior statistician Joni Rantakari.
"Last year, the net immigration gain was the highest in 30 years. In the beginning of this year the figure was even higher than the same period last year," Rantakari said in a statement.
At the end of September, Finland's total population was 5,559,198.