OSLO, March 7 (Xinhua) -- New figures from Norway's statistics bureau showed that the total fertility rate in 2018 was 1.56 children per woman, which is lowest ever measured in Norway, public broadcaster NRK reported Thursday.

The fertility rate has decreased every year since 2009, and the level was record low also in 2017.

In 2018, 55,100 children were born in Norway which is 1,500 fewer than in 2017, the report said.

"The decline is a trend that has now been going on for almost ten years. The fertility has thus fallen by 0.42 children, that is, almost half a child per woman in the last decade," Espen Andersen, advisor of Statistics Norway (SSB) told NRK.

Increasing age of giving birth is an important cause of the decline, according to SSB.

The average age for mothers giving first-time births was 29.5 years last year, while first-time fathers on average were 31.8 years.

There are also fewer Norwegians who get more than two children, while multiple births with twins and triplets are also at their lowest level since 1994.

In her New Year speech this year, Prime Minister Erna Solberg encouraged Norwegians to have more children.

Last December, a working group was set up with representatives from three different Norwegian ministries to consider changes in the support schemes for families to facilitate the Norwegians to have more children.