The total fertility rate of the world has dropped from around 5 children per woman in 1950, to 2.2 children per woman in 2025, which means that women today are having fewer than half the number of children that women did 75 years ago. Replacement level fertility This change has come as a result of the global demographic transition, and is influenced by factors such as the significant reduction in infant and child mortality, reduced number of child marriages, increased educational and vocational opportunities for women, and the increased efficacy and availability of contraception. While this change has become synonymous with societal progress, it does have wide-reaching demographic impact - if the global average falls below replacement level (roughly 2.1 children per woman), as is expected to happen in the 2050s, then this will lead to long-term population decline on a global scale. Regional variations When broken down by continent, Africa is the only region with a fertility rate above the global average, and, alongside Oceania, it is the only region with a fertility rate above replacement level. Until the 1980s, the average woman in Africa could expect to have 6-7 children over the course of their lifetime, and there are still several countries in Africa where women can still expect to have 5 or more children in 2025. Historically, Europe has had the lowest fertility rates in the world over the past century, falling below replacement level in 1975. Europe's population has grown through a combination of migration and increasing life expectancy, however even high immigration rates could not prevent its population from going into decline in 2021.

The average for 2022 based on 196 countries was 18.19 births per 1000 people. The highest value was in the Central African Republic: 45.42 births per 1000 people and the lowest value was in Hong Kong: 4.4 births per 1000 people. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

From 1950 to 1955, the worldwide crude birth rate was just under 37 births per thousand people, which means that 3.7 percent of the population, who were alive during this time had been born in this five year period. Between this five year period, and the time between 2015 and 2020, the crude birth rate has dropped to 18.5 births per thousand people, which is fifty percent of what the birth rate was seventy years ago. This change has come as a result of increased access and reliability of contraception, a huge reduction in infant and child mortality rate, and increased educational and vocational opportunities for women. The continents that have felt the greatest change over this seventy year period are Asia and Latin America, which fell below the global average in the 1990s and early 2000s, and are estimated to have fallen below the crude birth rate of Oceania in the current five-year period. Europe has consistently had the lowest crude birth rate of all continents during the past seventy years, particularly in the 1990s and 2000s, when it fell to just over ten births per thousand, as the end of communism in Europe caused sweeping demographic change across Europe. The only continent that still remains above the global average is Africa, whose crude birth rate is fifteen births per thousand more than the world average, although the rate of decrease is higher than it was in previous decades.

The fertility rate of a country is the average number of children that women from that country will have throughout their reproductive years. In the United States in 1800, the average woman of childbearing age would have seven children over the course of their lifetime. As factors such as technology, hygiene, medicine and education improved, women were having fewer children than before, reaching just two children per woman in 1940. This changed quite dramatically in the aftermath of the Second World War, rising sharply to over 3.5 children per woman in 1960 (children born between 1946 and 1964 are nowadays known as the 'Baby Boomer' generation, and they make up roughly twenty percent of todays US population). Due to the end of the baby boom and increased access to contraception, fertility reached it's lowest point in the US in 1980, where it was just 1.77. It did however rise to over two children per woman between 1995 and 2010, although it is expected to drop again by 2020, to just 1.78.

The fertility rate of a country is the average number of children that women from that country will have throughout their reproductive years. From 1800 until 1865, Japan's fertility rate grew quite gradually, from 4.1 children per woman, to 4.8. From this point the fertility rate drops to 3.6 over the next ten years, as Japan became more industrialized. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, Japan's fertility rate grew again, and reached it's highest recorded point in the early 1920s, where it was 5.4 children per woman. Since this point it has been gradually decreasing until now, although it did experience slight increases after the Second World War, and in the early 1970s. In recent decades Japan's population has aged extensively, and today, Japan has the second oldest population and second highest life expectancy in the world (after Monaco). In contrast to this, Japan has a very low birth rate, and it's fertility rate is expected to fall below 1.4 children per woman in 2020.

United States Birth Rate: 25 to 29 data was reported at 91.000 % in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 93.500 % for 2022. United States Birth Rate: 25 to 29 data is updated yearly, averaging 111.000 % from Dec 1985 (Median) to 2023, with 39 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 120.200 % in 1990 and a record low of 90.900 % in 2020. United States Birth Rate: 25 to 29 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G008: Birth Rate.

Today, globally, women of childbearing age have an average of approximately 2.2 children over the course of their lifetime. In pre-industrial times, most women could expect to have somewhere between five and ten live births throughout their lifetime; however, the demographic transition then sees fertility rates fall significantly. Looking ahead, it is believed that the global fertility rate will fall below replacement level in the 2050s, which will eventually lead to population decline when life expectancy plateaus. Recent decades Between the 1950s and 1970s, the global fertility rate was roughly five children per woman - this was partly due to the post-WWII baby boom in many countries, on top of already-high rates in less-developed countries. The drop around 1960 can be attributed to China's "Great Leap Forward", where famine and disease in the world's most populous country saw the global fertility rate drop by roughly 0.5 children per woman. Between the 1970s and today, fertility rates fell consistently, although the rate of decline noticeably slowed as the baby boomer generation then began having their own children. Replacement level fertility Replacement level fertility, i.e. the number of children born per woman that a population needs for long-term stability, is approximately 2.1 children per woman. Populations may continue to grow naturally despite below-replacement level fertility, due to reduced mortality and increased life expectancy, however, these will plateau with time and then population decline will occur. It is believed that the global fertility rate will drop below replacement level in the mid-2050s, although improvements in healthcare and living standards will see population growth continue into the 2080s when the global population will then start falling.

United States Birth Rate: 25 to 29: White data was reported at 89.200 % in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 91.100 % for 2022. United States Birth Rate: 25 to 29: White data is updated yearly, averaging 112.300 % from Dec 1985 (Median) to 2023, with 39 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 122.000 % in 2007 and a record low of 88.200 % in 2020. United States Birth Rate: 25 to 29: White data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G008: Birth Rate.

United States Birth Rate: 25 to 29: Hispanic data was reported at 111.200 % in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 113.800 % for 2022. United States Birth Rate: 25 to 29: Hispanic data is updated yearly, averaging 137.500 % from Dec 1989 (Median) to 2023, with 35 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 153.000 % in 1990 and a record low of 105.800 % in 2020. United States Birth Rate: 25 to 29: Hispanic data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G008: Birth Rate.

Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: per 1000 Population: West Bengal data was reported at 14.600 NA in 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 14.900 NA for 2019. Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: per 1000 Population: West Bengal data is updated yearly, averaging 17.200 NA from Dec 1997 (Median) to 2020, with 23 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 21.300 NA in 1998 and a record low of 14.600 NA in 2020. Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: per 1000 Population: West Bengal data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAH002: Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: by States.

Japan JP: Total Fertility Rate: Children per Woman data was reported at 1.300 Person in 2021. This records an increase from the previous number of 1.290 Person for 2020. Japan JP: Total Fertility Rate: Children per Woman data is updated yearly, averaging 1.375 Person from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2021, with 32 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.530 Person in 1991 and a record low of 1.270 Person in 2005. Japan JP: Total Fertility Rate: Children per Woman data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Japan – Table JP.OECD.GGI: Social: Demography: OECD Member: Annual.

Graph and download economic data for Fertility Rate, Total for the United States (SPDYNTFRTINUSA) from 1960 to 2023 about fertility, rate, and USA.

The fertility rate of a country is the average number of children that women from that country will have throughout their reproductive years. In Germany in 1800, the average woman of childbearing age would have 5.4 children over the course of their lifetime. It remained around this number until the late 1820s, when it then dropped to just under five, which was a long-term effect of the Napoleonic Period in Europe. From this point until the end of the nineteenth century, Germany's fertility rate was rather sporadic, reaching it's lowest point in 1855 with an average of 4.6 births per woman, and it's highest point in 1875 (just after the foundation of the German Empire in 1871), with an average of 5.4 live births per woman. From the beginning of the twentieth century until the end of the Second World War, Germany's fertility rate dropped from around 5 children per woman in 1900, to 1.9 in 1945. The only time where the fertility rate increased was in the inter-war years. Like other countries heavily involved in the Second World War, Germany (both East and West) experienced a Baby Boom from the late 1940s to the late 1960s, however it then dropped to it's lowest point of just 1.3 children per woman by 1995, shortly after the re-unification of Germany. In recent years, Germany's fertility rate has gradually been increasing again, and is expected to reach 1.6 in 2020, its highest rate in over forty years.

In 2023, there were five countries, where the average woman of childbearing age can expect to have over six children throughout their lifetime. In fact, of the 20 countries in the world with the highest fertility rates, Afghanistan and Yemen are the only countries not found in Sub-Saharan Africa. High fertility rates in Africa With a fertility rate of 6.13 and 6.12 children per woman, Somalia and Chad were the countries with the highest fertility rate in the world. Population growth in Chad is among the highest in the world. Lack of healthcare access, as well as food instability, political instability, and climate change, are all exacerbating conditions that keep Chad's infant mortality rates high, which is generally the driver behind high fertility rates. This situation is common across much of the continent, and, although there has been considerable progress in recent decades, development in Sub-Saharan Africa is not moving as quickly as it did in other regions. Demographic transition While these countries have the highest fertility rates in the world, their rates are all on a generally downward trajectory due to a phenomenon known as the demographic transition. The third stage (of five) of this transition sees birth rates drop in response to decreased infant and child mortality, as families no longer feel the need to compensate for lost children. Eventually, fertility rates fall below replacement level (approximately 2.1 children per woman), which eventually leads to natural population decline once life expectancy plateaus. In some of the most developed countries today, low fertility rates are creating severe econoic and societal challenges as workforces are shrinking while aging populations are placin a greater burden on both public and personal resources.

Crude birth rates, age-specific fertility rates and total fertility rates (live births), 2000 to most recent year.

Mexico Establishment Birth Rate: Guerrero: Micro data was reported at 15.617 % in 2021. This records an increase from the previous number of 9.232 % for 2020. Mexico Establishment Birth Rate: Guerrero: Micro data is updated yearly, averaging 12.425 % from Dec 2020 (Median) to 2021, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 15.617 % in 2021 and a record low of 9.232 % in 2020. Mexico Establishment Birth Rate: Guerrero: Micro data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Institute of Statistics and Geography. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Mexico – Table MX.O011: Establishment Birth Rate: by State.

Mexico Establishment Birth Rate: Queretaro: Micro data was reported at 26.053 % in 2021. This records an increase from the previous number of 13.486 % for 2020. Mexico Establishment Birth Rate: Queretaro: Micro data is updated yearly, averaging 19.769 % from Dec 2020 (Median) to 2021, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 26.053 % in 2021 and a record low of 13.486 % in 2020. Mexico Establishment Birth Rate: Queretaro: Micro data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Institute of Statistics and Geography. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Mexico – Table MX.O011: Establishment Birth Rate: by State.

The statistic shows the 20 countries with the lowest fertility rates in 2024. All figures are estimates. In 2024, the fertility rate in Taiwan was estimated to be at 1.11 children per woman, making it the lowest fertility rate worldwide. Fertility rate The fertility rate is the average number of children born per woman of child-bearing age in a country. Usually, a woman aged between 15 and 45 is considered to be in her child-bearing years. The fertility rate of a country provides an insight into its economic state, as well as the level of health and education of its population. Developing countries usually have a higher fertility rate due to lack of access to birth control and contraception, and to women usually foregoing a higher education, or even any education at all, in favor of taking care of housework. Many families in poorer countries also need their children to help provide for the family by starting to work early and/or as caretakers for their parents in old age. In developed countries, fertility rates and birth rates are usually much lower, as birth control is easier to obtain and women often choose a career before becoming a mother. Additionally, if the number of women of child-bearing age declines, so does the fertility rate of a country. As can be seen above, countries like Hong Kong are a good example for women leaving the patriarchal structures and focusing on their own career instead of becoming a mother at a young age, causing a decline of the country’s fertility rate. A look at the fertility rate per woman worldwide by income group also shows that women with a low income tend to have more children than those with a high income. The United States are neither among the countries with the lowest, nor among those with the highest fertility rate, by the way. At 2.08 children per woman, the fertility rate in the US has been continuously slightly below the global average of about 2.4 children per woman over the last decade.

Establishment Birth Rate: Coahuila de Zaragoza: SMEs data was reported at 5.835 % in 2021. This records an increase from the previous number of 4.709 % for 2020. Establishment Birth Rate: Coahuila de Zaragoza: SMEs data is updated yearly, averaging 5.272 % from Dec 2020 (Median) to 2021, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5.835 % in 2021 and a record low of 4.709 % in 2020. Establishment Birth Rate: Coahuila de Zaragoza: SMEs data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Institute of Statistics and Geography. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Mexico – Table MX.O011: Establishment Birth Rate: by State.

North Macedonia: Fertility rate, births per woman: The latest value from 2023 is 1.5 births per woman, a decline from 1.6 births per woman in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 2.41 births per woman, based on data from 196 countries. Historically, the average for North Macedonia from 1960 to 2023 is 2.22 births per woman. The minimum value, 1.31 births per woman, was reached in 2020 while the maximum of 3.83 births per woman was recorded in 1960.