Live births in Iceland were 4,129 in 2015. The number of boys was 2,119 and girls 2,010, i.e. 1,054 boys for every 1,000 girls. There is a sharp decrease in the number of births from the previous year when 4,375 children were born. The total fertility rate in 2015 was 1.81, compared with 1.93 in 2014. The total fertility rate has never been so low in Icelandic history. The total fertility rate peaked during the late 1950s and early 1960s, was 4.27 in 1960 and 4.24 in 1959.
Most births in Reykjavik
The majority of new born children were registered with domicile in Reykjavík (1,574), Kópavogur (445) and Hafnarfjörður (373). Most births in 2015 occurred in the month of July (385) and fewest in December (297). In 2014, most children were born in July (435) and fewest in December and April (323).
Age-specific fertility rate
The age of mothers at the birth of a child has increased in recent decades. The mean age of primparas in 2015 was 27.4 years, compared with less than 22 years in the 1970s. The mean age of mothers was 30.1 years in 2015. Age-specific fertility rate is highest in the age groups 25-29 years. Women in that age group had 116 children per 1,000 women in 2015.
One third born to parents in wedlock
Two thirds of the children born in 2015 were born out of wedlock. However, the majority of children were born to parents in a consensual union (52.0%), while 15.3% were born to parents who were not living together. A third (30.1%) was born to married couples.
