Netherlands vs Sweden: Share of children who were born outside of marriage
Netherlands
53.5%
in 2020
Sweden
55.2%
in 2020
Netherlands rank
13th
Sweden rank
10th
Share of children who were born outside of marriage over time
- Netherlands
- Sweden
How they compare
Sweden currently reports 55.2% against 53.5% in Netherlands, a difference of 1.7%.
Across all 61 years both countries report, Sweden has been ahead every year.
Netherlands ranks 13th and Sweden ranks 10th of 42 countries.
Sweden has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Netherlands | Sweden | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.8% | 13.7% | 11.9% | Sweden |
| 1970s | 2.4% | 30.1% | 27.7% | Sweden |
| 1980s | 7.7% | 45.9% | 38.2% | Sweden |
| 1990s | 15.8% | 51.8% | 35.9% | Sweden |
| 2000s | 34.0% | 55.3% | 21.3% | Sweden |
| 2010s | 48.8% | 54.5% | 5.7% | Sweden |
| 2020s | 53.5% | 55.2% | 1.7% | Sweden |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of children who were born outside of marriage, Netherlands or Sweden?
- Sweden, at 55.2% against 53.5% in Netherlands as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of children who were born outside of marriage between Netherlands and Sweden?
- 1.7%, with Sweden ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Netherlands and Sweden?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2020.
- How do Netherlands and Sweden rank globally for share of children who were born outside of marriage?
- Netherlands ranks 13th 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.