Live births in Iceland were 4,326 in 2013, 2,129 boys and 2,197 girls, 969 boys for every 1,000 girls. This is a decrease in the number of births from the previous year when 4,533 children were born. The total fertility rate was 1.93, compared with 2.04 in 2012. 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 Reykjavik (1,719), Kópavogur (487) and Hafnarfjörður (374). Most births in 2013 occurred in the month of August (402) and fewest in December (329). In 2012, most children were born in August (432) and fewest in December (337).
Age-specific fertility rate
The age of mothers at the birth of a child has increased in recent decades. The mean age of primiparas in 2013 was 27.3 years, compared with less than 22 years in the 1970s. The mean age of mothers was 30.2 years in 2013. Age-specific fertility rate is highest in the age groups 25-29 years and 30-34 years. Women in these age groups had 117 children per 1,000 women in 2013.
One third born to parents in wedlock
Two thirds of the children born in 2013 were born out of wedlock. However, the majority of children were born to parents in a consensual union (51.9%), while 16.3% were born to parents who were not living together. A third (31.7%) was born to married couples. The share of extramarital births is considerably higher in the case of first-borns than with children of a higher birth order.
Methods
Children born in Iceland but domiciled abroad are not included and children born outside Iceland but domiciled in Iceland (50 children in 2013) are included.