The fertility rate of a country is the average number of children that women from that country will have throughout their reproductive years. In 1860, Canadian women of childbearing age would go on to have 5.7 children on average, however this number dropped significantly by 1925, where it was just 3.3. It then plateaued in the late 1920s, before dropping again, to 2.7 in 1940. Similarly to the United States, Canada experienced a large baby boom after the Second World War, rising to 3.9 in 1960, before declining again into the 1980s, and then plateauing between 1.5 and 1.7 until today. Canada's fertility rate is expected to be 1.5 children per woman in 2020.

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

In Canada, the crude birth rate in 1860 was forty live births per thousand people, meaning that four percent of the population had been born in that year. From this point until the turn of the century, the crude birth rate decreases gradually, to just over thirty births per thousand. Over the next twenty years, this number hovers just below thirty, and thereafter it decreases much more rapidly than before, to 20.7 in 1940, before Canada's baby boom in the 1940s, 50s and 60s, where the birth rate increased to over 27. From the end of the baby boom until the late 1970s the population decreases rapidly again, before the rate of decline then slows. Since 1975, the crude birth rate of Canada will have dropped from 15.6, to it's lowest point in 2020, where it is expected to be just 10.5 births per thousand people.

Number and proportion of low birth weight babies (less than 2,500 grams and 500 grams to less than 2,500 grams), by sex.

Canada CA: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data was reported at 8.800 Ratio in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 9.000 Ratio for 2022. Canada CA: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 14.250 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2023, with 64 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 26.700 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 8.800 Ratio in 2023. Canada CA: 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 Canada – Table CA.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: 2024 Revision; (2) Statistical databases and publications from national statistical offices; (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics; (4) United Nations Statistics Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years).;Weighted average;

In 2023, the crude birth rate in live births per 1,000 inhabitants in Canada was 8.8. Between 1960 and 2023, the figure dropped by 17.9, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

Number and percentage of live births, by month of birth, 1991 to most recent year.

Canada CA: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data was reported at 1.260 Ratio in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1.330 Ratio for 2022. Canada CA: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data is updated yearly, averaging 1.680 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2023, with 64 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3.811 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 1.260 Ratio in 2023. 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: 2024 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 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.

Forecast: Live Births with a Low Birth Weight in Canada 2023 - 2027 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

This table contains 3114 series, with data for years 1996 - 1997 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years). This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Geography (173 items: Canada; Health and Community Services St. John's Region; Newfoundland and Labrador; Health and Community Services Eastern Region; Newfoundland and Labrador; Newfoundland and Labrador ...), Sex (3 items: Both sexes; Females; Males ...), Characteristics (6 items: Number of low birth weight babies; High 95% confidence interval; number of low birth weight babies; Low 95% confidence interval; number of low birth weight babies; Proportion of low birth weight babies ...).

In 2023, the total fertility rate in children per woman in Canada was 1.26. Between 1960 and 2023, the figure dropped by 2.55, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

Between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023, there was an estimated 357,903 babies born in Canada. This is an increase from 327,107 births over the corresponding period in 2000-2001. Births in Canada In 2021, there were more male babies born than female babies, and overall births have been increasing since 2000. Out of all Canadian metropolitan areas Toronto, Ontario had the highest number of births in 2021. Thunder Bay, Ontario was the metropolitan area with the lowest number of births in the same year. Life expectancy in Canada Canada is known for being a country with a high standard of living, and with a high standard of living comes a high life expectancy. The life expectancy at birth in Canada stands at just under 82 years and has been increasing overall over the past decade. The highest life expectancy in the country was found in British Columbia, while the lowest life expectancy was found in Canada’s northernmost territory, Nunavut.

Canada CA: Adolescent Fertility Rate: Births per 1000 Women Aged 15-19 data was reported at 4.805 Ratio in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 4.889 Ratio for 2022. Canada CA: Adolescent Fertility Rate: Births per 1000 Women Aged 15-19 data is updated yearly, averaging 23.756 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2023, with 64 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 54.573 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 4.805 Ratio in 2023. Canada CA: Adolescent Fertility Rate: Births per 1000 Women Aged 15-19 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. Adolescent fertility rate is the number of births per 1,000 women ages 15-19.;United Nations Population Division, World Population Prospects.;Weighted average;This is the Sustainable Development Goal indicator 3.7.2 [https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/].

Number and rate, birth related indicators (low and high birth weight, small and large for gestational age, pre-term births), by sex, three-year period, Canada, provinces, territories, health regions and peer groups.

This publication is a compilation of historical data relating to selected birth and fertility data from 1921-1990 for Canada, the ten provinces, and two territories. Major topics included in this publication relate to: the numbers and rates of live births; total, general, and age-specific fertility rates; births and birth rates by age of mother and order of live birth; and birthweights of newborns. This publication contains the following sections: (a) a narrative description of the historical trends exhibited by Canada's birth and fertility rates, supplemented by charts on these topics; and (b) a set of statistical tables containing historical birth and fertility data since 1921. The statistical data in this publication, along with complete documentation, are available in machine readable form from the Canadian Centre for Health Information. This publication was compiled in the Health Status Section of the Canadian Centre for Health Information and is one of a series of historical publications relating to the vital statistics events of births, marriages, deaths, infant mortality and abortions. Access data here

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.

This table contains 3006 series, with data for years 1997 - 2001 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years). This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Geography (167 items: Canada; Health and Community Services Eastern Region; Newfoundland and Labrador; Health and Community Services St. John's Region; Newfoundland and Labrador; Newfoundland and Labrador ...), Sex (3 items: Both sexes; Females; Males ...), Characteristics (6 items: Number of low birth weight babies; Low 95% confidence interval; number of low birth weight babies; High 95% confidence interval; number of low birth weight babies; Proportion of low birth weight babies ...).

Canada CA: Death Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data was reported at 8.100 Ratio in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 8.600 Ratio for 2022. Canada CA: Death Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 7.200 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2023, with 64 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 8.600 Ratio in 2022 and a record low of 6.900 Ratio in 1992. Canada CA: Death 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 Canada – Table CA.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Crude death rate indicates the number of deaths 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: 2024 Revision; (2) Statistical databases and publications from national statistical offices; (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics; (4) United Nations Statistics Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years).;Weighted average;

Number and proportion of low birth weight babies (500 to less than 2,500 grams), by sex, for Canada and Inuit regions.