Family law related social services 2023

The number of family law related agreements varies considerably by wellbeing services county.

During 2023, child support agreements were confirmed for 3.9 per cent of children. Agreements were confirmed most in Kymenlaakso, where they were confirmed for 6.5 per cent of children, and least in West Uusimaa, where the percentage was 2.5.

The number of family law related agreements halved between 2018 and 2023. There has been a particularly strong decline in the number of child custody agreements because joint custody of a child does not currently require a separate child custody agreement if parenthood has already been acknowledged during pregnancy. No single clear reason can be pointed out for the reduction in the number of agreements on child support and right of access. The commonness of agreements on alternating residence has remained at the same level as in previous years.

Paternity is still always established separately if the parents of the child that will be born are not married. In 2023, paternity was established by acknowledgement for 22,667 children. In a majority of cases, paternity was acknowledged before the child was born, and acknowledgements after the birth of the child accounted for only 11 per cent of the cases.

Only agreements confirmed by social services are included in the statistics – parents can also agree on the custody and residence of their children and access to the children between themselves.

The data in the statistics are collected from the wellbeing services counties, the Digital and Population Data Services Agency, the Legal Register Centre and THL's Forensic Chemistry Unit.

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Indicators in Sotkanet

Background information

Description of statistics

The statistics contain data on custody and maintenance of the child and determination of parenthood from all wellbeing services counties (up to 2022 from municipalities) in Finland .

The statistics contain data on the number and extent of the maintenance agreements confirmed by municipal social welfare boards as well as on agreements on child custody, residence and right of access as well as determination of parenthood.

The National Institute for Health and Welfare THL (previously STAKES) has collected the data since 1993. Before 1993, the statistics were compiled by the National Agency for Welfare and Health.

Since 2020, the statistics have also included data on establishment of maternity and court-ordered joint guardianship from the Digital and population data services agency.

The statistics are published annually in May/June.