New measures to encourage earlier childbearing

Katrine V. Løken_ sigrid folkestad
Katrine V. Løken, Professor and Vice Rector for Research at NHH, was a member of the expert committee that proposed measures to reverse the decline in birth rates in Norway. Photo: Sigrid Folkestad
By Sigrid Folkestad

9 February 2026 13:07

New measures to encourage earlier childbearing

Guaranteed childcare from the age of one and extra child benefit for parents under 30 are among the measures proposed by the Birth Rate Committee.

Child benefit and student grants

The majority of the committee proposed severaø economic measures in an interim report one year ago. These measures were aimed at young adults. The committee majority maintains this proposal in the final NOU 2026: 2 (to increase financial support for parents under the age of 30).

 

  • The proposal includes an additional child benefit for parents under 30. The committee believes that extra child benefit has little effect on work incentives. At the same time, unlike one-off payments, it provides a more permanent increase in income and helps avoid abrupt cut-offs that may be perceived as unfair.
  • The committee also proposes increasing the parental grant for students by NOK 25,000 and reducing student loan debt by NOK 25,000 per child born during the period of study.

Parents are becoming steadily older when they have their first child. At the same time, fewer and fewer children are being born.

1.44 childer per woman

Norway’s total fertility rate has fallen from 1.98 children per woman in 2009 to 1.44 in 2024. The figure for 2023, at 1.40, is the lowest ever recorded in Norway.

Surveys show that a large majority of young men and women in Norway envision a life with children and would like to have them earlier than is common today. Nevertheless, an increasing number end up having fewer children than they originally wanted – and later in life.

On Monday this week, the Birth Rate Committee presented NOU 2026: 2 Policy for New Generations. Professor and Vice Rector for Research at NHH, Katrine V. Løken, was a member of the expert committee. Associate Professor Rannveig Kaldager Hart at the University of Oslo chaired the work.

Two main reasons

The committee points to two main reasons for the decline in birth rates.

`First, young people are establishing themselves later in adult life – including housing, partnerships, and working life – and therefore postpone starting a family. Second, fewer people are having more than two children ´, says committee chair Rannveig Kaldager Hart in a press release.

This may be linked both to the time pressure between work and family life, and to health-related challenges connected to pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period.

measures

The committee has examined likely causes of the decline in birth rates, how it affects society, and which measures may be effective in reversing the trend.

  1. Reduced social exclusion: Preventing health problems, supporting completion of upper secondary education, and strengthening inclusion in the labour market can help reduce childlessness, particularly among men.

  2. Earlier establishment in adult life: A smoother transition between compulsory military service and education, as well as making vocational education more attractive and accessible, may make it easier to have children earlier. Shortening compulsory schooling could contribute in the same direction.

  3. Increased financial support for young parents: Greater economic support for parents under 30 can make it easier for those who wish to have children early.

  4. A better housing market for families with children: Increasing housing supply and considering measures to curb housing price growth, such as taxes on homeownership, could allow earlier entry into the housing market.

  5. Improved health services for prospective and new parents: Better health services can support a smoother transition to parenthood and encourage having more children.

  6. A smoother transition from parental benefits to childcare: A more flexible and efficient transition can reduce unwanted unpaid leave and provide more family time. The committee proposes guaranteed childcare for all children from the age of one, combined with the option of 70 weeks of parental benefits at 70 per cent compensation.

  7. Better balance between work and family life: Eleven of the twelve committee members propose a trial scheme with reduced working hours for parents of young children.