Home > Statistics > Families > 2011 > Annual Review > Children have an average of 2.9 grandparents

Published: 9 November 2012

Children have an average of 2.9 grandparents

At the end of 2011, the 1.1 million children in Finland had an average of 2.9 grandparents in the population. In 2005, children had 2.8 grandparents, on average. The number of grandparents is growing as life expectancy is lengthening. Through their reconstituted families children may also have acquired new grandparents, who are, however, excluded from the statistics, as are grandparents living abroad. At the end of 2011, the number of grandparents of children aged under 18 was 468,000 and that of grandmothers 597,000. The number is slightly lower than the total number of children.

Children by age and number of grandparents in the population of Finland in 2011, %

Thirty-nine per cent of underage children have all four grandparents. Twenty-nine per cent of children have three grandparents and 19 per cent two. Eight per cent of children have only one grandparent.

Six per cent of children had no grandparent in the population of Finland. It should be noted that here included are only the grandparents in the population of Finland, which means that any grandparents living in other countries are excluded from this review. As around ten per cent of children have at least one parent who was born elsewhere than in Finland, grandparents may be assumed to be alive abroad.

During the review period, 58 per cent of children aged under one had all four grandparents in the population, while this is so for only 17 per cent of those aged 17. Correspondingly, four per cent of babies and 11 per cent of 17-year-olds had no grandparent in the population.

Source: Population and Cause of Death Statistics, Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Marjut Pietiläinen 09 1734 2798, Timo Nikander 09 1734 3250, vaesto.tilasto@stat.fi

Director in charge: Jari Tarkoma

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Reviews

• 1. Number and proportion of married couples without children among families is growing (9.11.2012)
• 2. Four per cent of families entirely Swedish-speaking (9.11.2012)
• 3. Number of families with children steadily falling (9.11.2012)
• 4. Regional differences in prevalence of families with underage children are small (9.11.2012)
• 5. Sixty-six per cent of children live in families of married couples (9.11.2012)
• 6. More than one half of boys live at home at the age of 20 (9.11.2012)
• 7. Middle-aged men live alone more often than women (9.11.2012)
• 8. Over one half of persons aged 60 have underage grandchildren (9.11.2012)

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Appendix tables

• Appendix table 1. Family population and average size of family in 1950 - 2011 (9.11.2012)
• Appendix table 2. Swedish-speaking families by type and number of children of spouses/parents December 31, 2011 (9.11.2012)
• Appendix table 3. Married couples by order of marriage of man and woman on December 31, 2011 (9.11.2012)
• Appendix table 4. Families by language of spouses/parents on December 31, 2011 (9.11.2012)
• Appendix table 5. Families with underage children by language of parents on December 31, 2011 (9.11.2012)
• Appendix table 6. Families by citizenship of spouses/parents on December 31, 2011 (9.11.2012)
• Appendix table 7. Families with underage children by citizenship of parents on December 31, 2011 (9.11.2012)
• Appendix table 8. Families by country of birth of spouses/parents on December 31, 2011 (9.11.2012)
• Appendix table 9. Families with underage children by country of birth of parents on December 31, 2011 (9.11.2012)
• Appendix table 10. Families by type of family and number of children aged 17 or under living at home on December 31, 2011 (9.11.2012)
• Appendix table 11. Families with underage children by number of children aged under 18 and family type on December 31, 2011 (9.11.2012)
• Appendix table 12. Reconstituted families by family composition and number of children on December 31, 2011 (9.11.2012)
• Appendix table 13. Families by age group of children and type of family on December 31, 2011 (9.11.2012)
• Appendix table 14. Children aged 0 - 24 by type of family, adopted children in families by age on December 31, 2011 (9.11.2012)
• Appendix table 15. Children by age and number of children in the family living at home aged 17 or under on December 31, 2011 (9.11.2012)
• Appendix table 16. Men with a family by age and type of family on December 31, 2011 (9.11.2012)
• Appendix table 17. Women with a family by age and type of familly on December 31, 2011 (9.11.2012)
• Appendix table 18. Grandparents of underage children (0-17) by age 2011 (9.11.2012)

Quality descriptions

• Quality description, families 2011 (9.11.2012)

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Updated 9.11.2012