SOU, Alm.del - 2024-25 - Bilag 63: Svar på Koreas præsidentielle komités spørgsmål vedrørende demografi og fertilitet, som Socialudvalget har videreformidlet

Socialudvalget 2024-25
SOU Alm.del Bilag 63
Offentligt

Folketingets Socialudvalg

Christiansborg

11. november 2024

Svar på Koreas præsidentielle komités spørgsmål vedrørende

demografi og fertilitet, som Socialudvalget har videreformidlet

Spørgsmål

1. Generally, countries with higher education levels among women have lower

birth rates. However, I have noticed that in Denmark, highly educated women

have the most children. What do you think is the reason for this?

What is the governance structure related to population policy in Denmark?

2. Is there a difference in birth rates between first-generation immigrants and na-

tive Danes in Denmark?

Is there a difference in birth rates between second-generation immigrants and

native Danes in Denmark?

What is the future governance structure related to population policy in Den-

mark?

3. What collaborative measures do you think our committee and the Danish gov-

ernment could consider in responding to the low birth rate and ageing society?

Svar

Question 1 - Generally, countries with higher education levels among women have lower birth

rates. However, I have noticed that in Denmark, highly educated women have the most children.

What do you think is the reason for this? What is the governance structure related to population

policy in Denmark?

In Denmark, there are several measures in place that serve to support families and

to allow both parents to remain in the labour market during parenthood. This can

lower the potential loss of career opportunities of having children. Both the wel-

fare state, e.g. partly public financed maternity and paternity leave, childcare and

education, and the structures of the labor market, e.g. flexible working hours and

payed children-sick-days leave, support family life by promoting a work-life bal-

ance and thereby making it easier to start and have a family.

A key element is Denmark’s generous parental leave policy, which allows mothers

4 weeks leave before expected time of birth, followed by a total of 48 weeks of

leave after birth to be divided between the parents. The parents have the flexibility

to decide how they want to divide the parental leave after birth, but 11 weeks are

Finansministeriet · Christiansborg Slotsplads 1 · 1218 København K

SOU, Alm.del - 2024-25 - Bilag 63: Svar på Koreas præsidentielle komités spørgsmål vedrørende demografi og fertilitet, som Socialudvalget har videreformidlet

Side 2 af 3

earmarked for each parent. Parents are entitled to parental leave regardless of

whether they are employed, self-employed, unemployed, or studying. Some collec-

tive agreements give the right to a full salary during parental leave or parts of it.

Public funding can cover an amount equivalent to the unemployment benefit level

during the full period of parental leave.

The government guarantees day nursery for children older than 6 months, making

high-quality, subsidized daycare widely accessible. This policy allows parents, es-

pecially mothers, to reenter the workforce sooner without significant economic

sacrifice, supporting both family and career aspirations. The average yearly cost in

2023 for day nursery for children younger than 3 is USD 6,300 for parents, and

for children 3 years or older the yearly cost is the USD 3,600. In comparison, the

average gross household income for couples with children was approx. USD

170,000 in 2023. Additionally, parents can qualify for means-tested additional sub-

sidies and/or siblings-discounts. Against this background, the majority of Danish

children are enrolled in a day nursery.

Furthermore, Denmark’s social safety net provides financial

security through,

among other things, universal healthcare, sickness benefits, and unemployment

benefits. This comprehensive support mitigates the impact of income fluctuations,

helping parents feel secure in providing for their families.

Finally,

Denmark’s

labour market is highly flexible, offering options such as re-

mote work,

paid leave for a child’s first sick day

and flexible hours, which is re-

flected in the fairly prevalent use of part-time employment. Flexible work arrange-

ments and robust social protections can help parents manage family responsibili-

ties while allowing parents to pursue professional goals, a balance that may be par-

ticularly relevant among the highly educated.

Question 2 - Is there a difference in birth rates between first-generation immigrants and native

Danes in Denmark? Is there a difference in birth rates between second-generation immigrants

and native Danes in Denmark? What is the future governance structure related to population

policy in Denmark?

In 2023, fertility rates were higher for women of Danish origin than for both

Western and non-Western immigrants,

cf. figure 1.

Historically, however, fertility

has been higher among non-Western immigrants than among women of Danish

origin, while fertility has been lower for Western immigrants. Meanwhile, fertility

rates among both Western and non-Western descendants (second-generation im-

migrants) have been roughly on par with those of women of Danish origin,

cf. fig-

ure 2.

Western countries include the Nordic countries, EU countries, as well as Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco,

San Marino, Switzerland, Vatican City, Canada, the USA, Australia, and New Zealand. Non-Western coun-

tries include all other countries.

SOU, Alm.del - 2024-25 - Bilag 63: Svar på Koreas præsidentielle komités spørgsmål vedrørende demografi og fertilitet, som Socialudvalget har videreformidlet

Side 3 af 3

Figure 1

Total fertility rates for native Danish and

immigrants

Total fertility rate

2,5

2,0

1,5

Figure 2

Total fertility rates for native Danish and

descendants

Total fertility rate

2,5

2,0

Total fertility rate

2,5

2,0

1,5

Total fertility rate

2,5

2,0

1,5

1,0

0,5

0,0

2010

2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022

Women of Danish origin

Descendant women from Western countries

Descendant women from non-Western countries

1,5

1,0

0,5

0,0

1,0

0,5

0,0

2010

2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022

Women of Danish origin

Immigrant women from Western countries

Immigrant women from non-Western countries

1,0

0,5

0,0

Source: Statistics Denmark and own calculations.

Question 3 - What collaborative measures do you think our committee and the Danish

government could consider in responding to the low birth rate and ageing society?

The decision of having children is a highly personal choice, and it is difficult to af-

fect or control through policy adjustments, at least in the Danish context de-

scribed in question 1.

Fertility rates can affect macroeconomic conditions and public finances through

various channels, including costs of childcare and education, as well as the size of

the labour force, both in absolute terms and relative to the elderly population. The

Danish pension system supports a sustainable fiscal development through occupa-

tional pensions plans (quasi-mandatory, fully funded system, covering nearly all

employees) and through the indexation of the statutory retirement age to life ex-

pectancy, thus mitigating ageing effects on public finances.

However, it is essential to prevent structural factors, like potentially limited labour

market flexibility, from unintentionally discouraging people from having children

while also addressing the increasing impact of infertility problems. This considera-

tion is also part of the rationale behind the recent expansion of fertility treat-

ments, which now allows childless individuals to access twice as many treatments.

Furthermore, from December 1

2024 families will have the right to receive free

public fertility treatment for the second child.