Experts credit Iceland’s recent jump in births largely to an improved parental leave policy, which allows both mothers and fathers to take time off.
Reykjavik — Iceland last year saw its birth rate jump to 2.14 children per woman, making it Europe’s most prolific country, largely due to improved parental leave, the national statistics agency said Thursday.
“The main reason is the paternity leave implemented around 2000,” Statistics Iceland spokesman Gudjon Hauksson told AFP, adding that more advantageous compensation for both mothers and fathers on leave had also contributed to the increase.
Last year, the Atlantic island nation of some 320,000 people registered 4,835 live births — an increase of 275 babies from 2007, when the birth rate stood at 2.09 children per woman, according to the statistics office.
“Only twice in the history of Iceland have there been more children born in one year, i.e. in 1960 and 1959,” it said in a statement.
Icelandthus tops the charts as Europe’s most prolific country, coming outahead of European Union champion France where the birth rate last yearstood at 2.02 children per woman.
At the beginning of thedecade, Iceland began offering a total of nine months of parentalleave, of which the mother is entitled to three months, the father tothree months and the remaining period is split between the two. Bothreceive 80 percent of their salaries during their time off.
WhileIceland’s parental leave is less generous than what is available in theother Nordic countries, the addition of “paternity leave definitelyexplains the trend seen last year,” Hauksson said.
Nearly twothirds of the babies on the island are born out of wedlock, while 13.3percent are born to parents who live apart, according to StatisticsIceland.