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

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.

Fertility rate, total (births per woman) in United States was reported at 1.6165 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United States - Fertility rate, total (births per woman) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

Fertility Rate, Total for the United States was 1.61650 Births per Woman in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Fertility Rate, Total for the United States reached a record high of 3.65400 in January of 1960 and a record low of 1.61650 in January of 2023. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Fertility Rate, Total for the United States - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on September of 2025.

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.

Graph and download economic data for Fertility Rate, Total for China (SPDYNTFRTINCHN) from 1960 to 2023 about fertility, China, and rate.

Graph and download economic data for Fertility Rate, Total for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (SPDYNTFRTINPRK) from 1960 to 2023 about North Korea, fertility, and rate.

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.

Fertility rate, total (births per woman) in China was reported at 0.999 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. China - Fertility rate, total (births per woman) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

In 2025, the total fertility rate in Europe was estimated to be 1.41 births per woman compared with 2.7 in 1950. The fertility rate in Europe fell considerably between 1957 and 1999, falling from 2.62 to 1.4.

Norway: Fertility rate, births per woman: The latest value from 2023 is 1.4 births per woman, a decline from 1.41 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 Norway from 1960 to 2023 is 1.99 births per woman. The minimum value, 1.4 births per woman, was reached in 2023 while the maximum of 2.98 births per woman was recorded in 1964.

Graph and download economic data for Fertility Rate, Total for the Russian Federation (SPDYNTFRTINRUS) from 1960 to 2023 about fertility, Russia, and rate.

Following a spike to 2.5 children per woman in the mid-1960s (during the second wave of the post-WWII baby boom), Germany's fertility rate then fell sharply to around 1.5 children per woman in the 1970s, and it has fluctuated between 1.2 and 1.6 children per woman ever since. Germany's fertility rate has been below the natural replacement level of roughly 2.1 children per woman since 1970, meaning that long-term natural population growth is unsustainable. In fact, Germany has experienced a natural population decline in every year since 1972, and its population has only grown or been sustained at its current level through high net immigration rates.Find more statistics on other topics about Germany with key insights such as crude birth rate, life expectancy of women at birth, and total life expectancy at birth.

Finland: Fertility rate, births per woman: The latest value from 2023 is 1.26 births per woman, a decline from 1.32 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 Finland from 1960 to 2023 is 1.8 births per woman. The minimum value, 1.26 births per woman, was reached in 2023 while the maximum of 2.72 births per woman was recorded in 1960.

Laos: Fertility rate, births per woman: The latest value from 2023 is 2.42 births per woman, a decline from 2.45 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 Laos from 1960 to 2023 is 4.99 births per woman. The minimum value, 2.42 births per woman, was reached in 2023 while the maximum of 6.38 births per woman was recorded in 1983.

Fertility rate, total (births per woman) in United Kingdom was reported at 1.56 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. United Kingdom - Fertility rate, total (births per woman) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

Fertility rate, total (births per woman) in Sweden was reported at 1.45 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Sweden - Fertility rate, total (births per woman) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on September of 2025.

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

This dataset includes crude birth rates and general fertility rates in the United States since 1909.

The number of states in the reporting area differ historically. In 1915 (when the birth registration area was established), 10 states and the District of Columbia reported births; by 1933, 48 states and the District of Columbia were reporting births, with the last two states, Alaska and Hawaii, added to the registration area in 1959 and 1960, when these regions gained statehood. Reporting area information is detailed in references 1 and 2 below. Trend lines for 1909–1958 are based on live births adjusted for under-registration; beginning with 1959, trend lines are based on registered live births.

In 2021, the total fertility rate, in the United Kingdom fell to 1.53 births per woman, compared with 1.56 in 2020. The fertility rate in the most recent year is the lowest in this provided time period, and far below the peak of 2.65 births per woman recorded in 1964.