Swedish prime minister pledges more IVF if re-elected

Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has promised to expand state-funded IVF for additional children in his re-election campaign.

The pledge follows the government's recent move to double the number of state-funded IVF attempts offered to aspiring first-time parents. It also comes as Sweden's fertility rate fell to 1.42 in 2025, its lowest ever level since records began in 1749.

'It is a level we have never had in Sweden,' said Kristersson on his podcast, Ring Statsministern! (Call the Prime Minister!). 'And that got me thinking. It could be because lots of people don't want to have children, but I am quite sure that it is also because quite a lot of people never get those children that they really would like to have.'

The Swedish government, a right-wing minority-run coalition, already decided earlier this year to increase the number of state-funded IVF cycles from three to six per family, with nearly 327 million kronor (just over £25 million) being allocated in the spring supplementary budget to support this effort. These additional cycles are not expected to be offered before June, when the Swedish parliament will vote on the budget.

However, only childless people can currently access state funding for IVF in Sweden. Those seeking fertility treatment to have additional children must pay for it privately, with each round costing around 50,000 kronor, about £3975.

Kristersson is proposing to expand state-funded IVF to existing parents should his party, the centre-right Moderates, remain in power after the upcoming September elections. The pledge has drawn criticism from the opposition party, the Social Democrats, which warned against 'short-term political moves'.

Experts have also questioned the relevance of framing discussions around fertility treatments in demographic terms (see BioNews 1342), and whether the policy will have its anticipated impact on fertility levels. Pointing at Sweden's generous parental leave and subsidised childcare, Martin Kolk, a sociologist at Stockholm University, told the Guardian that the falling birth rate may be linked to wider cultural changes, with parenthood being seen by some as 'competing with other lifestyles.'