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.

Over the past 30 years, the birth rate in the United States has been steadily declining, and in 2022, there were 11 births per 1,000 of the population. In 1990, this figure stood at 16.7 births per 1,000 of the population. Demographics have an impact The average birth rate in the U.S. may be falling, but when broken down along ethnic and economic lines, a different picture is painted: Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander women saw the highest birth rate in 2022 among all ethnicities, and Asian women and white women both saw the lowest birth rate. Additionally, the higher the family income, the lower the birth rate; families making between 15,000 and 24,999 U.S. dollars annually had the highest birth rate of any income bracket in the States. Life expectancy at birth In addition to the declining birth rate in the U.S., the total life expectancy at birth has also reached its lowest value in recent years. Studies have shown that the life expectancy of both men and women in the United States has declined as of 2021. Declines in life expectancy, like declines in birth rates, may indicate that there are social and economic factors negatively influencing the overall population health and well-being of the country.

Chart and table of the U.S. birth rate from 1950 to 2025. United Nations projections are also included through the year 2100.

United States Birth Rate: White data was reported at 9.500 % in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 9.700 % for 2021. United States Birth Rate: White data is updated yearly, averaging 13.700 % from Dec 1985 (Median) to 2022, with 38 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 15.800 % in 1990 and a record low of 9.400 % in 2020. United States Birth Rate: 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.

Madagascar MG: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data was reported at 4.184 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 4.241 Ratio for 2015. Madagascar MG: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data is updated yearly, averaging 6.237 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 7.308 Ratio in 1965 and a record low of 4.184 Ratio in 2016. Madagascar MG: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Madagascar – Table MG.World Bank: Health Statistics. Total fertility rate represents the number of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her childbearing years and bear children in accordance with age-specific fertility rates of the specified year.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average; Relevance to gender indicator: it can indicate the status of women within households and a woman’s decision about the number and spacing of children.

Austria AT: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data was reported at 1.410 Ratio in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1.480 Ratio for 2021. Austria AT: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data is updated yearly, averaging 1.480 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2022, with 63 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.820 Ratio in 1963 and a record low of 1.330 Ratio in 2001. Austria AT: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Austria – Table AT.World Bank.WDI: Social: Health Statistics. Total fertility rate represents the number of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her childbearing years and bear children in accordance with age-specific fertility rates of the specified year.;(1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2022 Revision; (2) Statistical databases and publications from national statistical offices; (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics.;Weighted average;Relevance to gender indicator: it can indicate the status of women within households and a woman’s decision about the number and spacing of children.

Population: Birth Rate: Liaoning data was reported at 0.406 % in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 0.408 % for 2022. Population: Birth Rate: Liaoning data is updated yearly, averaging 0.664 % from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2023, with 34 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.630 % in 1990 and a record low of 0.406 % in 2023. Population: Birth Rate: Liaoning data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Socio-Demographic – Table CN.GA: Population: Birth Rate: By Region.

Graph and download economic data for Fertility Rate, Total for the United States (SPDYNTFRTINUSA) from 1960 to 2022 about fertility, rate, and USA.

In the United States, the crude birth rate in 1800 was 48.3 live births per thousand people, meaning that 4.8 percent of the population had been born in that year. Between 1815 and 1825 the crude birth rate jumped from 46.5 to 54.7 (possibly due to Florida becoming a part of the US, but this is unclear), but from this point until the Second World War the crude birth rate dropped gradually, reaching 19.2 in 1935. Through the 1940s, 50s and 60s the US experienced it's baby boom, and the birth rate reached 24.1 in 1955, before dropping again until 1980. From the 1980s until today the birth rate's decline has slowed, and is expected to reach twelve in 2020, meaning that just over 1 percent of the population will be born in 2020.

Switzerland Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data was reported at 1.540 Ratio in 2016. This stayed constant from the previous number of 1.540 Ratio for 2015. Switzerland Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data is updated yearly, averaging 1.530 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.660 Ratio in 1964 and a record low of 1.380 Ratio in 2001. Switzerland Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Switzerland – Table CH.World Bank: Health Statistics. Total fertility rate represents the number of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her childbearing years and bear children in accordance with age-specific fertility rates of the specified year.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average; Relevance to gender indicator: it can indicate the status of women within households and a woman’s decision about the number and spacing of children.

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.

Canada CA: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data was reported at 1.330 Ratio in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1.440 Ratio for 2021. Canada CA: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data is updated yearly, averaging 1.680 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2022, with 63 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3.811 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 1.330 Ratio in 2022. Canada CA: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Canada – Table CA.World Bank.WDI: Social: Health Statistics. Total fertility rate represents the number of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her childbearing years and bear children in accordance with age-specific fertility rates of the specified year.;(1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2022 Revision; (2) Statistical databases and publications from national statistical offices; (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics.;Weighted average;Relevance to gender indicator: it can indicate the status of women within households and a woman’s decision about the number and spacing of children.

The total fertility rate of the world has dropped from around five children per woman in 1950, to 2.3 children per woman in 2023, which means that women today are having fewer than half the number of children that women did 75 years ago. 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.

When broken down by continent, Africa is the only region with a fertility rate above the global average, while it and Oceania are the only regions with above replacement level fertility rates. Until the 1980s, women in Africa could expect to have almost seven children throughout the course of their lifetimes, and there are still eight countries in Africa where the average woman of childbearing age can still expect to have five or more children in 2023. Historically, Europe has had the lowest fertility rate 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.

United States Birth Rate: 45 to 49: Asian data was reported at 1.800 % in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 1.500 % for 2021. United States Birth Rate: 45 to 49: Asian data is updated yearly, averaging 1.100 % from Dec 1985 (Median) to 2022, with 38 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.900 % in 2019 and a record low of 0.800 % in 2000. United States Birth Rate: 45 to 49: Asian 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 - Crude Birth Rate for Middle Income Countries was 17.67832 Births per 1,000 People in January of 2019, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Crude Birth Rate for Middle Income Countries reached a record high of 40.62641 in January of 1963 and a record low of 17.67832 in January of 2019. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Crude Birth Rate for Middle Income Countries - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on March of 2025.

Between 1939 and 1950, the Soviet Union's fertility rate underwent the most drastic change of all the major Allied Powers; falling from 4.9 births per woman in 1939 to just 1.7 births in 1943. In Russia alone, this decline was even greater, falling from 4.9 to 1.3 births in the same time period. After the war's conclusion in 1945, there was an observable increase in fertility in all the given countries, and this marked beginning of the global baby boom of the mid-twentieth century.

Births Rate: per 100 Womens: France: 15-24 Yrs data was reported at 2.410 NA in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 2.540 NA for 2016. Births Rate: per 100 Womens: France: 15-24 Yrs data is updated yearly, averaging 3.215 NA from Dec 1994 (Median) to 2017, with 24 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3.400 NA in 1994 and a record low of 2.410 NA in 2017. Births Rate: per 100 Womens: France: 15-24 Yrs data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by French National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies. The data is categorized under Global Database’s France – Table FR.G005: Vital Statistics: Birth Rate.

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women had the highest fertility rate of any ethnicity in the United States in 2022, with about 2,237.5 births per 1,000 women. The fertility rate for all ethnicities in the U.S. was 1,656.5 births per 1,000 women. What is the total fertility rate? The total fertility rate is an estimation of the number of children who would theoretically be born per 1,000 women through their childbearing years (generally considered to be between the ages of 15 and 44) according to age-specific fertility rates. The fertility rate is different from the birth rate, in that the birth rate is the number of births in relation to the population over a specific period of time. Fertility rates around the world Fertility rates around the world differ on a country-by-country basis, and more industrialized countries tend to see lower fertility rates. For example, Niger topped the list of the countries with the highest fertility rates, and Taiwan had the lowest fertility rate.

United States US: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data was reported at 12.400 Ratio in 2016. This stayed constant from the previous number of 12.400 Ratio for 2015. United States US: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 15.100 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 23.700 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 12.400 Ratio in 2016. United States US: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Crude birth rate indicates the number of live births occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear. Subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate provides the rate of natural increase, which is equal to the rate of population change in the absence of migration.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average;

Birth Rate: 30 to 34: Asian data was reported at 104.000 % in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 105.000 % for 2021. Birth Rate: 30 to 34: Asian data is updated yearly, averaging 111.200 % from Dec 1985 (Median) to 2022, with 38 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 127.400 % in 2016 and a record low of 92.600 % in 1986. Birth Rate: 30 to 34: Asian 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.