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.

The average for 2022 based on 192 countries was 2.51 births per woman. The highest value was in Niger: 6.75 births per woman and the lowest value was in Hong Kong: 0.7 births per woman. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

This statistic shows the countries and territories with the lowest projected fertility rate between 2050 and 2055. Between 2050 and 2055, Singapore is projected to have the lowest fertility rate, with an average of 1.38 children born per woman.

Graph and download economic data for Fertility Rate, Total for Low Income Countries (SPDYNTFRTINLIC) from 1960 to 2023 about fertility, income, and rate.

In 2025, there are six countries, all in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the average woman of childbearing age can expect to have between 5-6 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 almost six children per woman, Chad is the country 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.

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.

The average for 2022 based on 195 countries was 18.38 births per 1000 people. The highest value was in Niger: 45.03 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 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

The average for 2022 based on 27 countries was 1.47 births per woman. The highest value was in Romania: 1.81 births per woman and the lowest value was in Malta: 1.15 births per woman. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Although fluctuating between 2000 and 2024, fertility rates generally decreased in all G7 countries in recent years. Italy and Japan were estimated to have the lowest fertility rates as of 2024, at *** children per woman of childbearing age. On the other hand, France had the highest rate at *** children. Interestingly, in Germany, the fertility rate was at the same level as Japan and Italy, but started to increase in 2013 and has remained slightly higher since. The fertility rate displays the average number of children a woman of child-bearing age in a country would have if she were to live to the end of her reproductive age.

Graph and download economic data for Crude Birth Rate for Least Developed Countries (SPDYNCBRTINLDC) from 1960 to 2023 about birth, crude, and rate.

Female fertility was the highest in Yemen in 2019 at an approximate of 3.7 births per woman, followed by Iraq and Palestine at about 3.6 and 3.56 births per woman respectively. In comparison, the United Arab Emirates had the lowest fertility rate of about 1.4 births per woman in 2019.

Fertility rates over time

Fertility rates have been declining over the years from 2.9 in 2010 to 2.8 in 2018 in the Middle East and Africa region. The population of a country starts declining due to the decline in fertility rates when the fertility rate drops below the threshold of approximately 2.1. This effect is more prominent in countries with high child mortality rates as child survival is one of the main factors affecting fertility rates. Parents are more likely to attempt to replace lost children or have more children as insurance when experiencing early child mortality. In the MENA region, child mortality witnessed a significant decline over the past decade.

Factors affecting female fertility

The variation in fertility rates across countries is very evident. Developed countries have lower fertility rates between 1 to 3 births per female, while developing countries have higher rates that could reach 7 births per female. Female fertility rates drop as countries develop economically. It was found that a higher income and education decreases female fertility. Increasing the employment of women also reduces female fertility as it increases their opportunity cost of bearing children.

Graph and download economic data for Fertility Rate, Total for Lower Middle Income Countries (SPDYNTFRTINLMC) from 1960 to 2023 about fertility, income, and rate.

United States US: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data was reported at 1.800 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1.843 Ratio for 2015. United States US: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data is updated yearly, averaging 2.002 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3.654 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 1.738 Ratio in 1976. United States US: 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 USA – Table US.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 rates have fallen in all five Nordic countries over the last years. However, in 2021, the birth rates increased again in all five Nordics countries, besides in Sweden, where the fertility rate stayed the same. This can be explained by the higher number of babies born during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, Iceland had the highest fertility rate of the Nordic countries, with 1.6 children born per woman in reproductive age. The global trend of decreasing fertility The Nordics are not the only region with decreasing fertility rates. Globally, fertility rates have been on a steady decline since 2000. While lower-income countries have had more significant declines, they still have more children born per woman than higher-income countries. In 2000, almost 6 children were born per woman in low-income countries, decreasing to 4.62 in 2021. By comparison, nearly 1.71 children were born per woman in high-income countries, falling slightly to 1.55 by 2021. Overall, in 2023, Niger, Angola, and the Democratic Republic of Congo had the highest fertility rates, while Taiwan, South Korea, and Singapore had the lowest fertility rates. Impacts of low fertility Greater access to education, challenges between work-life balance, and the costs of raising children can all be linked to falling fertility rates. However, this decline is not without consequences, and many countries are facing social and economic challenges because of aging and shrinking populations. For example, in Japan, where nearly 30 percent of the country is aged 65 or older, an increasing proportion of the government expenditure is going towards social security benefits. Moreover, the very low unemployment rate in Japan can partially be attributed to having a shrinking labor force and fewer people to support the economy.

In 2023, the Italian region which registered the highest fertility rate was Trentino-South Tyrol, where the average number of children born per female reached 1.42 infants. Over the last years, the fertility rate in Italy has constantly decreased, except for 2021 when a slight increase by 0.01 points was recorded. Fewer and fewer children born per womanThe average number of children born per female significantly varied from the middle of the twentieth century to present days. In 2017, Italian women were on average a mother of one child, whereas about seven decades earlier, females had on average at least two kids. The lowest fertility rates worldwide From the global perspective, Italy was one of the world's twenty countries with the lowest fertility rate in 2023. This figure in Taiwan reached only 1.07 children per woman, placing the country on top of the ranking.

The average for 2022 based on 24 countries was 13.79 births per 1000 people. The highest value was in Haiti: 23.15 births per 1000 people and the lowest value was in Puerto Rico: 5.9 births per 1000 people. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

World birth rate for 2025 is 17.13, a 0.95% decline from 2024.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>World birth rate for 2024 was <strong>17.30</strong>, a <strong>5.9% increase</strong> from 2023.</li>
<li>World birth rate for 2023 was <strong>16.33</strong>, a <strong>1.34% decline</strong> from 2022.</li>
<li>World birth rate for 2022 was <strong>16.56</strong>, a <strong>1.7% decline</strong> from 2021.</li>
</ul>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.

Graph and download economic data for Adolescent Fertility Rate for Low Income Countries (SPADOTFRTLIC) from 1960 to 2023 about fertility, income, and rate.

Japan fertility rate for 2025 is 1.38, a 0.51% increase from 2024.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Japan fertility rate for 2024 was <strong>1.37</strong>, a <strong>0.51% increase</strong> from 2023.</li>
<li>Japan fertility rate for 2023 was <strong>1.37</strong>, a <strong>0.07% decline</strong> from 2022.</li>
<li>Japan fertility rate for 2022 was <strong>1.37</strong>, a <strong>0% increase</strong> from 2021.</li>
</ul>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.

Graph and download economic data for Crude Birth Rate for Low Income Countries (SPDYNCBRTINLIC) from 1960 to 2023 about birth, crude, income, and rate.