Estonia vs Sweden: Share of children who were born outside of marriage
Estonia
53.7%
in 2019
Sweden
55.2%
in 2020
Estonia rank
12th
Sweden rank
10th
Share of children who were born outside of marriage over time
- Estonia
- Sweden
How they compare
Sweden currently reports 55.2% against 53.7% in Estonia, a difference of 1.5%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 31 shared years of data; in 1989 it was Sweden ahead.
Estonia ranks 12th and Sweden ranks 10th of 42 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, Estonia averaged higher in 2 and Sweden in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Estonia | Sweden | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 25.3% | 51.8% | 26.5% | Sweden |
| 1990s | 42.2% | 51.8% | 9.6% | Sweden |
| 2000s | 57.5% | 55.3% | 2.2% | Estonia |
| 2010s | 57.2% | 54.5% | 2.7% | Estonia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of children who were born outside of marriage, Estonia or Sweden?
- Sweden, at 55.2% against 53.7% in Estonia as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of children who were born outside of marriage between Estonia and Sweden?
- 1.5%, with Sweden ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Estonia and Sweden?
- 31 years are reported by both, from 1989 to 2019.
- How do Estonia and Sweden rank globally for share of children who were born outside of marriage?
- Estonia ranks 12th and Sweden ranks 10th of 42 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- OECD (2025); OECD (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of children who were born outside of marriage. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Share of all children born to mothers who were not married at the time of birth.