Helsinki, Oct 25 (IANS): Current immigration levels will keep Finland's population growing until 2070, according to the latest population forecast by Statistics Finland.

However, the number of children and working-age individuals will decline after mid-century, contributing to an ageing population, Xinhua news agency reported.

Finland's population is expected to reach 6.5 million by 2070, but the number of children under 15 will drop from 832,000 to 700,000. The working-age population, currently around 3.46 million, will peak at 3.84 million in the 2050s before declining.

Markus Rapo, senior statistician at Statistics Finland, noted that high immigration is key to this growth, but it will not stop the rising demographic support ratio. This measures the ratio of non-working individuals to workers and currently stands at 62. However, the ratio is set to increase to 72 by 2070 as the elderly population grows.

While immigration will delay these effects, low birth rates remain a challenge. 2024 marks the seventh consecutive year in which fewer than 50,000 children were born in Finland.

Rapo added that if the birth rate remains low for an extended period, its effects will be felt far into the future. Initially, this will impact the number of children born, he said, while in the long term, it will impact the number of women of childbearing age.