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.

This map shows the average number of children born to a woman during her lifetime. Data from Population Reference Bureau's 2017 World Population Data Sheet. The world's total fertility rate reported in 2017 was 2.5 as a whole. Replacement-Level fertility is widely recognized as 2.0 children per woman, so as to "replace" each parent in the next generation. Countries depicted in pink have a total fertility rate below replacement level whereas countries depicted in teal have a total fertility rate above replacement level. In countries with very high child mortality rates, a replacement level of 2.1 could be used, since not every child will survive into their reproductive years. Determinants of Total Fertility Rate include: women's education levels and opportunities, marriage rates among women of childbearing age (generally defined as 15-49), contraceptive usage and method mix/effectiveness, infant & child mortality rates, share of population living in urban areas, the importance of children as part of the labor force (or cost/penalty to women's labor force options that having children poses), and religious and cultural norms, among many other factors. This map was made using the Global Population and Maternal Health Indicators layer.

In 2023, the Faroe Islands was the European country estimated to have the highest fertility rate. The small Atlantic island state had a fertility rate of 2.71 children per woman. Other small countries such as Monaco and Gibraltar also came towards the top of the list for 2023, while the large country with the highest fertility rate was France, with 1.79 children per woman. On the other hand, Andorra, San Marino, and Malta had the lowest fertility rates in Europe, with Ukraine, Spain, and Italy being the largest countries with low fertility rates in that year, averaging around 1.3 children per woman.

In 2024, there are six countries, all in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the average woman of childbearing age can expect to have around six or more children throughout their lifetime. In fact, of the 20 countries in the world with the highest fertility rates, Afghanistan is the only country not found in Sub-Saharan Africa. High fertility rates in Africa With a fertility rate of almost 7 children per woman, Niger is the country with the highest fertility rate in the world. Population growth in Niger 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 Niger'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 less-developed 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 four or 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

In 2020, Timor-Leste had the highest fertility rate among the countries in Southeast Asia, with a fertility rate of 3.85 children per woman. Comparatively, the fertility rate in Singapore was 1.22 children per woman in 2020.

Graph and download economic data for Fertility Rate, Total for Upper Middle Income Countries (SPDYNTFRTINUMC) from 1960 to 2022 about fertility, income, and rate.

In 2020, Pakistan had the highest fertility rate among the countries of South Asia, with a fertility rate of just under 3.4 children per woman. Comparatively, the fertility rate in the Maldives was approximately 1.82 births per woman in 2020.

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

Graph and download economic data for Fertility Rate, Total for Low and Middle Income Countries (SPDYNTFRTINLMY) from 1960 to 2022 about fertility, income, and 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.

This horizontal bar chart displays fertility rate (births per woman) by countries using the aggregation average, weighted by population female and is filtered where the continent is Africa. The data is about countries.

This horizontal bar chart displays fertility rate (births per woman) by countries yearly using the aggregation average, weighted by population female and is filtered where the country is Chad. The data is about countries per year.

This horizontal bar chart displays fertility rate (births per woman) by countries yearly using the aggregation average, weighted by population female. The data is about countries per year.

Chart and table of the Costa Rica fertility rate from 1950 to 2025. United Nations projections are also included through the year 2100.

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

Graph and download economic data for Fertility Rate, Total for Developing Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SPDYNTFRTINSSA) from 1960 to 2022 about Sub-Saharan Africa, fertility, and rate.

Graph and download economic data for Fertility Rate, Total for Developing Countries in East Asia and Pacific (SPDYNTFRTINEAP) from 1960 to 2022 about East Asia, Pacific, fertility, and rate.

This horizontal bar chart displays fertility rate (births per woman) by countries yearly using the aggregation average, weighted by population female and is filtered where the country is St. Lucia. The data is from the countries entity.

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

This horizontal bar chart displays fertility rate (births per woman) by countries yearly using the aggregation average, weighted by population female and is filtered where the country is Dominican Republic. The data is about countries per year.