5. Eighty per cent of children live in families with two parents
Families with children can also be examined by taking the child as the statistical unit instead of the family. Then the results are slightly different. For example, 58 per cent of the families with children are those of married couples, but 63 per cent of all children live in families of married couples, because these families have a higher average number of children than families of cohabiting couples or one-parent families. When the children of cohabiting couples and those of registered couples are included in the calculation, 80 per cent of underage children live in families with two parents. At the end of 2018, a total of 1,037,995 underage children were growing in families. The number was 8,341 lower than in the year before.
In family statistics, children are included in a family based on where they are registered and thus far you can only be registered at one address. So, when the parents divorce, the child is only included in the family of one parent even if the parents would in practice have joint custody. Children’s shared residence was studied in the ad hoc module of Statistic Finland's 2018 Labour Force Survey. Data on shared residence were published on 17 June 2019. According to the results, there was a total of around 110,000 children living in two homes.
Table 8. Children aged 17 or under by type of family in 1985 to 2018
Year | Total | Married couple |
Registered partnership |
Cohabiting couple |
Mother | Father |
1985 | 1 136 027 | 959 580 | .. | 61 386 | 102 413 | 12 648 |
1990 | 1 135 686 | 916 855 | .. | 91 164 | 113 184 | 14 483 |
1995 | 1 150 562 | 858 255 | .. | 125 222 | 148 706 | 18 379 |
2000 | 1 116 687 | 777 447 | .. | 156 411 | 162 544 | 20 285 |
2005 | 1 084 865 | 727 638 | 131 | 172 898 | 162 875 | 21 323 |
2010 | 1 064 470 | 704 953 | 397 | 175 563 | 161 427 | 22 130 |
2011 | 1 061 710 | 701 396 | 500 | 175 981 | 161 575 | 22 258 |
2012 | 1 058 664 | 697 517 | 597 | 176 104 | 162 035 | 22 411 |
2013 | 1 056 606 | 691 581 | 672 | 178 899 | 162 836 | 22 618 |
2014 | 1 055 763 | 685 150 | 797 | 181 515 | 165 203 | 23 098 |
2015 | 1 053 444 | 677 854 | 938 | 183 463 | 167 618 | 23 571 |
2016 | 1 051 285 | 669 773 | 1 014 | 184 914 | 171 323 | 24 261 |
2017 | 1 046 336 | 661 610 | 558 | 185 140 | 174 060 | 24 968 |
2018 | 1 037 995 | 649 782 | 477 | 185 029 | 176 638 | 26 069 |
% | ||||||
1985 | 100,0 | 84,5 | .. | 5,4 | 9,0 | 1,1 |
1990 | 100,0 | 80,7 | .. | 8,0 | 10,0 | 1,3 |
1995 | 100,0 | 74,6 | .. | 10,9 | 12,9 | 1,6 |
2000 | 100,0 | 69,6 | .. | 14,0 | 14,6 | 1,8 |
2005 | 100,0 | 67,1 | 0,0 | 15,9 | 15,0 | 2,0 |
2010 | 100,0 | 66,2 | 0,0 | 16,5 | 15,2 | 2,1 |
2011 | 100,0 | 66,1 | 0,1 | 16,6 | 15,2 | 2,1 |
2012 | 100,0 | 65,9 | 0,1 | 16,6 | 15,3 | 2,1 |
2013 | 100,0 | 65,5 | 0,1 | 16,9 | 15,4 | 2,1 |
2014 | 100,0 | 64,9 | 0,1 | 17,2 | 15,6 | 2,2 |
2015 | 100,0 | 64,3 | 0,1 | 17,4 | 15,9 | 2,2 |
2016 | 100,0 | 63,7 | 0,1 | 17,6 | 16,3 | 2,3 |
2017 | 100,0 | 63,2 | 0,1 | 17,7 | 16,6 | 2,4 |
2018 | 100,0 | 62,6 | 0,0 | 17,8 | 17,0 | 2,5 |
5.1 Thirty-five per cent of children had at least two siblings
Although 43 per cent of families with children had only one child at the end of 2018, only 23 per cent of the children in these families had no siblings. The status of an only child is temporary for many of these children, as the majority of them will have a sibling later on. Some of these children may also have had an older sibling who has already turned 18 or moved away from home.
At the end of 2018, altogether 42 per cent of all children lived with one sibling and 35 per cent of all children had at least two siblings living at home. The proportions have not changed much compared to the year before. In 1985, only 27 per cent of all children had at least two siblings at home.
Table 9. Children by number of underage children in the family in 1985 to 2018
Year | Total | Number of underage children in families | |||
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 - | ||
1985 | 1 136 027 | 306 784 | 518 206 | 221 211 | 89 826 |
1990 | 1 135 751 | 286 529 | 500 680 | 243 504 | 105 038 |
1995 | 1 150 562 | 284 915 | 484 092 | 257 283 | 124 272 |
2000 | 1 116 687 | 268 369 | 461 516 | 255 075 | 131 727 |
2005 | 1 084 865 | 255 549 | 451 758 | 245 325 | 132 233 |
2010 | 1 064 470 | 254 551 | 445 192 | 230 580 | 134 147 |
2011 | 1 061 710 | 253 995 | 443 286 | 229 101 | 135 328 |
2012 | 1 058 664 | 252 986 | 441 612 | 227 907 | 136 159 |
2013 | 1 056 606 | 250 318 | 441 312 | 227 175 | 137 801 |
2014 | 1 055 763 | 247 882 | 440 974 | 228 099 | 138 808 |
2015 | 1 053 444 | 245 871 | 441 220 | 227 532 | 138 821 |
2016 | 1 051 285 | 244 159 | 441 602 | 226 467 | 139 057 |
2017 | 1 046 336 | 241 709 | 440 232 | 225 978 | 138 417 |
2018 | 1 037 995 | 239 248 | 439 576 | 222 315 | 136 856 |
% | |||||
1985 | 100,0 | 27,0 | 45,6 | 19,5 | 7,9 |
1990 | 100,0 | 25,2 | 44,1 | 21,4 | 9,2 |
1995 | 100,0 | 24,8 | 42,1 | 22,4 | 10,8 |
2000 | 100,0 | 24,0 | 41,3 | 22,8 | 11,8 |
2005 | 100,0 | 23,6 | 41,6 | 22,6 | 12,2 |
2010 | 100,0 | 23,9 | 41,8 | 21,7 | 12,6 |
2011 | 100,0 | 23,9 | 41,8 | 21,6 | 12,7 |
2012 | 100,0 | 23,9 | 41,7 | 21,5 | 12,9 |
2013 | 100,0 | 23,7 | 41,8 | 21,5 | 13,0 |
2014 | 100,0 | 23,5 | 41,8 | 21,6 | 13,1 |
2015 | 100,0 | 23,3 | 41,9 | 21,6 | 13,1 |
2016 | 100,0 | 23,2 | 42,0 | 21,5 | 13,2 |
2017 | 100,0 | 23,1 | 42,1 | 21,6 | 13,2 |
2018 | 100,0 | 23,0 | 42,3 | 21,4 | 13,2 |
The cross-sectional nature of family statistics is clearly illustrated in Figure 9, which shows the children of families by age and number of children in the family. Here all children living at home and aged under 18 are taken into account when determining the status of an only child. Of children aged under one year, 41 per cent are without siblings, i.e. they are firstborns in their families. The proportion of children without siblings is the lowest for children aged eight: 13 per cent of them are the only child in the family.
A second child has most likely been born to a family when the firstborn is aged around nine. On the other hand, the older sibling has only on rare occasions reached the age of 18. Since it can be assumed that some of the 8-year-old children will still have a sibling and some of them already have one who has left home, it can be concluded that some ten per cent of children will remain permanently without siblings. The same results are attained when looking at the number of children according to the number of children born to women in the whole country.
Figure 9 indicates that a child’s family is at its largest when he/she is nine years old. Around 42 per cent of children of that age live in families with at least three underage children.
Figure 9. Children by age and number of children aged 17 or under in the family in 2018
![Figure 9. Children by age and number of children aged 17 or under in the family in 2018](perh_2018_02_2020-01-31_kat_005_en_001.gif)
5.2 Children in North Ostrobothnia have most siblings
There are also regional differences in the number of siblings. In areas where families are bigger, the proportion of children living with several siblings is naturally larger than in areas of small families. In North Ostrobothnia, 28 per cent of children have at least three siblings aged under 18 living at home. In contrast, around every tenth child in South Karelia, Uusimaa and Southwest Finland is living with at least three siblings. In Åland, only eight per cent of children live with this many siblings.
North, Central and South Ostrobothnia also have the lowest proportions of children living without siblings − under 20 per cent. More than every fourth child in Kymenlaakso, Åland and Uusimaa has no siblings living at home.
Figure 10. Children by number of siblings by region in 2018, %
![Figure 10. Children by number of siblings by region in 2018, %](perh_2018_02_2020-01-31_kat_005_en_002.gif)
5.3 Every tenth child is living in a reconstituted family
In all, 106,625 children (10 per cent of all children) aged under 18 are raised in reconstituted families. The number of children growing in reconstituted families declined by around one thousand (1,144) from the year before. However, the relative share remained the same. Of children in reconstituted families 32,170 are the spouses' common children, that is, born to a family that previously had the mother’s and/or the father’s children only. Altogether, 44 per cent of reconstituted families have had common children born to the family as well. There are 74,455 actual children of reconstituted families (7% of all children), that is, children who have obtained a new social parent. Of these children, 63,353 were brought into the family by their mother and 11,102 by their father.
5.4 Nine per cent on underage children are of foreign background
During 2012, Statistics Finland adopted a new origin classification. Persons whose at least one parent who was born in Finland are considered to be of Finnish background. Also, persons whose parents' data are unknown but whose native language is Finnish, Swedish or Sami are considered to be of Finnish background. Persons whose both parents or the only known parent were born abroad are considered to be of foreign background. Persons who were born abroad and whose both parents' data are unknown are also considered to be of foreign background. Using the origin classification, it is easy to distinguish between first (born abroad) and second (born in Finland) generation Finns with a foreign background. The following looks at all children belonging to the population of Finland.
Based on what is stated above, 90,800 or nine per cent of all underage children were of foreign background at the end of 2018. During the year, the number of underage children with foreign background has grown by close on five thousand (4,771). In 1990, there were 3,500 underage children with foreign background in Finland.
Until 2003, there were more children with foreign background in the first generation than in the second generation, but in the following year there were slightly more children with foreign background in the second generation, 51 per cent. At the end of 2018, the share of children with foreign background in the second generation among all children with foreign background was 61 per cent. In recent years, the ratio has remained unchanged.
Source: Population and Justice Statistics, Statistics Finland
Inquiries: Marjut Pietiläinen 029 551 2798, Joonas Toivola 029 551 3355, Timo Nikander 029 551 3250, info@stat.fi
Director in charge: Jari Tarkoma
Updated 31.01.2020
Official Statistics of Finland (OSF):
Families [e-publication].
ISSN=1798-3231. annual review 2018,
5. Eighty per cent of children live in families with two parents
. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 17.8.2024].
Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/perh/2018/02/perh_2018_02_2020-01-31_kat_005_en.html