Fertility patterns among foreign-origin population: evidence from Estonia

Allan Puur, Estonian Interuniversity Population Research Centre
Asta Põldma, Estonian Interuniversity Population Research Centre
Luule Sakkeus, Estonian Interuniversity Population Research Centre

With the expansion of foreign-origin populations, there is a growing recognition of the importance of migrants for childbearing in Europe. The present study aims to complement research on this topic by analyzing fertility patterns of immigrant population in Estonia. In the European context, Estonia experienced a relatively early switch from emigration to immigration. This has resulted in the emergence of a numerous second generation which currently dominates the reproductive age generations. The analysis applies the cohort approach and addresses the quantum as well as timing of childbearing, the classical demographic methods are complemented with multivariate event-history models. The results indicate that starting from the birth cohorts of the 1930s, foreign- origin population in Estonia has featured lower fertility. In the second generation fertility patterns have not converged with the native population. The study employs data from the Estonian FFS/GGS, combined with census and vital statistics.