Faroe Islands birth rate rises to highest level in decades

The Faroe Islands saw its birth rate climb to 2.1 children per woman in 2025, the highest in a generation, according to figures from the Faroese statistics agency Hagstova Føroya.

Official data show 642 children were born last year, 50 more than in 2024, reversing a years-long decline. The fertility rate had fallen to 1.86 in 2023 and 1.9 in 2024 before reaching 2.1—the first time it has hit 2.5 since records began in this period.

The increase was driven largely by first-time mothers, the agency noted. The fertility rate measures the average number of children born to women of childbearing age, defined as 15 to 49 years old.

As of 1 March, the Faroe Islands’ population stood at 55,177, an increase of 510 residents compared to the same date last year.