While Switzerland and the rest of the world hunkered down in lockdown, the ground was being set for a mini-baby boom, a new study from the University of Zurich has revealed. The birth rate in the alpine nation rose to levels unseen in nearly 50 years during the pandemic, becoming one of two countries to see a sizeable bump in births.
The study noted that in 2021, the number of people born in Switzerland rose to 89.400 people, the most seen in the country since 1972. With birth rates in the following years falling significantly, experts now see 2021 as a mini-baby boom.
Switzerland joined France as being the only two countries around the world to report a baby-boom - the study found that while birth rates did rise in places like Germany, Austria and Italy, the increases did not have a major impact on population growth.
Experts have now revealed that most members of the mini-baby boom generation were conceived during or shortly after the first COVID lockdown in the spring of 2020. The period indoors caused a 13 percent spike in the birth rate overall. The boom was mainly propelled by women who are Swiss citizens in their 30s, alongside those who already have one child or more adding to their clan.
Though the reasons for the baby boom are still being investigated, the university suggested that the first lockdown and period of furloughed work and home office in 2020 dramatically improved work-life balance. They argued that the lockdown itself convinced many couples to bring their family plans forward to take advantage of the new situation.
Following the brief blip in 2021, birth rates in Switzerland have continued to drop well below replacement rates. In response, debates have shifted to how - alongside migration policy - the country can maintain its pensions and social security services as more people retire and fewer are born. For instance, a 2024 report from the Swiss Employers’ Association predicts that the country will be short of 460.000 workers by 2035 if immigration and the birth rate do not increase.
So far, lawmakers have attempted to make it easier for residents to have children by planning to expand the family allowance, maternity leave and subsidies for childcare. However, these discussions have yet to bear much fruit.