Health Care Systems in Transition

Population The population is estimated to be 4.45 million (1999). The natural population growth rate reached 3.4 per 1000 in 1997, a figure well above the average EU levels. The main reasons for this are migration and the rise in average life expectancy. Future trends point to a growing and aging population. Fertility rates stood at 1.8 in 1999, the highest figure within the Scandinavian countries.