During the first nine months of the year, 902 live children were born.

This is the lowest number since 2001, according to preliminary statistics from Statistics Norway.

- That year, 893 children were born between January and September, says Rasmus Andersson, population statistician at Statistics Norway in a press release.

Similar trend throughout the country

The development in the county follows that in the whole of Sweden.

In the whole country, the birth rate is the lowest since 2005. During the first nine months of the year, 81,550 children were born in Sweden, the corresponding number in 2005 was just over 78,000 children.

- In Jämtland, total fertility has fallen since 2010. From 2.1 children per woman to 1.7 children last year.

In other words, the county follows the development in the country, says Vitor Miranda, demographer at Statistics Sweden.

Lowest number in at least 15 years in Östersund

But it differs a lot between different municipalities.

- In 30 municipalities, so few children have ever been born in the 2000s, which is as far back as our quarterly statistics go, says Rasmus Andersson, population statistician at Statistics Norway.

Two of these municipalities are in the county and they are Ragunda and Strömsund, where the birth rates so far this year are the lowest in the entire 21st century.

In the municipality of Östersund, the number of newborns during the first nine months of the year is the lowest in at least 15 years.