Perinatal statistics - parturients, delivers and newborns 2015

Statistical Report and appendices

Number of deliveries futher decreasing

In 2015, a total of 55 759 infants were born in Finland which is 3.5 per cent less than in 2014. This declining trend has continued now for five consecutive years. Northern Ostrobothnia had the greatest number of births per women of childbearing age, while Itä-Savo had the lowest number.

There were 27 maternity hospitals in 2015. On average, there were 2037 births per maternity hospital. However, one in three hospitals had less than 1000 deliveries in 2015 which is the limit for the having a delivery unit set by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health¹. Delivery units were closed in five hospitals between 2010 and 2015.

In 2015, 41 per cent of all parturients were primiparas. The mean age of primiparas has increased slightly, being 28.8 years in 2015. Of all parturients, 20.8 per cent were over the age of 35. The proportion of under-20s of all parturients has, instead, decreased: it was less than 2 per cent in 2015.

One in three parturients (35%) were overweight (BMI ≥ 25). With parturients over the age of 35 the proportions was 40 per cent. They also had gestational diabetes more often (18%) and underwent caesarean section more often (7 percentage points) than younger parturients.

The percentage of women who smoke during pregnancy (15%) decreased slightly in 2015, but was still at the same level as adecade ago. However, in 2015, 49 per cent of all parturients who were smokers quit smoking during pregnancy. This proportion has doubled in the last decade.

Parturients aged under 20 and over 35, 1994–2015, as % of all parturients

^{1 Governmental decree by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health on the criteria for treatment and conditions for on-call prerequisites by speciality, 14§}

Source

Perinataalitilasto – synnyttäjät, synnytykset ja vastasyntyneet 2015
Perinatalstatistik – föderskor, förlossningar och nyfödda 2015
Perinatal statistics – parturients, deliveries and newborns 2015

Statistical Report 16/2016, 10.10.2016.

Official Statistics of Finland, Perinatal statistics. THL. SVT-logo