With an average of *** births per woman, Afghanistan had the highest fertility rate throughout the Asia-Pacific region in 2024. Pakistan and Papua New Guinea followed with the second and third-highest fertility rates, respectively. In contrast, South Korea and Hong Kong had the lowest fertility rates across the region. Contraception usage Fertility rates among women in the Asia-Pacific region have fallen throughout recent years. A likely reason is an increase in contraception use. However, contraception usage varies greatly throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Although contraception prevalence is set to increase across South Asia by 2030, women in both East Asia and Southeast Asia had higher contraception usage compared to South Asia in 2019. Women in APAC With the rise of feminism and the advancement of human rights, attitudes towards the role of women have changed in the Asia-Pacific region. Achieving gender equality has become a vital necessity for both men and women throughout the region. Alongside changes in traditional gender roles, women in certain Asia-Pacific countries, such as New Zealand, have become more inclined to marry later in life. Furthermore, the focus for younger women appears to be with having stability in their lives and securing an enjoyable job. This was displayed when female high school students in Japan were questioned about their future life aspirations.

In 2023, Mongolia had the highest crude birth rate among East Asian countries or regions, with a crude birth rate of 19.5 live births per 1,000 of the population. Comparatively, Hong Kong had 5.5 live births per 1,000 of the population in 2023.

East Asia & Pacific birth rate for 2023 was 9.02, a 3.38% decline from 2022.

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

<li>East Asia & Pacific birth rate for 2022 was <strong>9.33</strong>, a <strong>5.42% decline</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>East Asia & Pacific birth rate for 2021 was <strong>9.87</strong>, a <strong>6.88% decline</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>East Asia & Pacific birth rate for 2020 was <strong>10.59</strong>, a <strong>10.79% decline</strong> from 2019.</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.

In 2023, Timor-Leste had the highest crude birth rate among the Southeast Asian countries, with a crude birth rate of 24.3 live births per 1,000 of the population. In comparison, there were 7.1 live births per 1,000 of the population in Singapore in 2023.

This horizontal bar chart displays birth rate (per 1,000 people) by region using the aggregation average, weighted by population in Eastern Asia. The data is about countries.

This horizontal bar chart displays birth rate (per 1,000 people) by country full name using the aggregation average, weighted by population in Eastern Asia. The data is about countries.

This horizontal bar chart displays birth rate (per 1,000 people) by demonym using the aggregation average, weighted by population in Eastern Asia. The data is about countries.

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.

birth rate for 2022 was 18.16, a 0.97% decline from 2021.

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

<li> birth rate for 2021 was <strong>18.34</strong>, a <strong>0.97% decline</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li> birth rate for 2020 was <strong>18.52</strong>, a <strong>2.2% decline</strong> from 2019.</li>
<li> birth rate for 2019 was <strong>18.93</strong>, a <strong>2.56% decline</strong> from 2018.</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.

This horizontal bar chart displays birth rate (per 1,000 people) by capital city using the aggregation average, weighted by population in Eastern Asia. The data is about countries.

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.

In 2024, the average number of children born per 1,000 people in China ranged at ****. The birth rate has dropped considerably since 2016, and the number of births fell below the number of deaths in 2022 for the first time in decades, leading to a negative population growth rate. Recent development of the birth rate Similar to most East-Asian countries and territories, demographics in China today are characterized by a very low fertility rate. As low fertility in the long-term limits economic growth and leads to heavy strains on the pension and health systems, the Chinese government decided to support childbirth by gradually relaxing strict birth control measures, that had been in place for three decades. However, the effect of this policy change was considerably smaller than expected. The birth rate increased from **** births per 1,000 inhabitants in 2010 to ***** births in 2012 and remained on a higher level for a couple of years, but then dropped again to a new low in 2018. This illustrates that other factors constrain the number of births today. These factors are most probably similar to those experienced in other developed countries as well: women preferring career opportunities over maternity, high costs for bringing up children, and changed social norms, to name only the most important ones. Future demographic prospects Between 2020 and 2023, the birth rate in China dropped to formerly unknown lows, most probably influenced by the coronavirus pandemic. As all COVID-19 restrictions were lifted by the end of 2022, births figures showed a catch-up effect in 2024. However, the scope of the rebound might be limited. A population breakdown by five-year age groups indicates that the drop in the number of births is also related to a shrinking number of people with child-bearing age. The age groups between 15 and 29 years today are considerably smaller than those between 30 and 44, leaving less space for the birth rate to increase. This effect is exacerbated by a considerable gender gap within younger age groups in China, with the number of females being much lower than that of males.

This horizontal bar chart displays birth rate (per 1,000 people) by demonym using the aggregation average, weighted by population in Southern Asia. The data is about countries.

For most of the past two centuries, falling birth rates have been associated with societal progress. During the demographic transition, where pre-industrial societies modernize in terms of fertility and mortality, falling death rates, especially among infants and children, are the first major change. In response, as more children survive into adulthood, women have fewer children as the need to compensate for child mortality declines. This transition has happened at different times across the world and is an ongoing process, with early industrial countries being the first to transition, and Sub-Saharan African countries being the most recent to do so. Additionally, some Asian countries (particularly China through government policy) have gone through their demographic transitions at a much faster pace than those deemed more developed. Today, in countries such as Japan, Italy, and Germany, birth rates have fallen well below death rates; this is no longer considered a positive demographic trend, as it leads to natural population decline, and may create an over-aged population that could place a burden on healthcare systems.

The total fertility rate of the world has dropped from around five 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 five 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 horizontal bar chart displays birth rate (per 1,000 people) by capital city using the aggregation average, weighted by population in Southern Asia. The data is about countries.

This horizontal bar chart displays birth rate (per 1,000 people) by political leader using the aggregation average, weighted by population in Eastern Asia. The data is about countries.

In 2022, Afghanistan had the highest number of births among women aged between 15 and 19, with approximately 79.7 births per thousand adolescent women. Across the Asia-Pacific region, the adolescent fertility rate for that year was lowest in Hong Kong, with around 1.6 births per thousand women between 15 and 19 years.

fertility rate for 2022 was 1.66, a 1.92% decline from 2021.

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

<li> fertility rate for 2021 was <strong>1.70</strong>, a <strong>1.17% increase</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li> fertility rate for 2020 was <strong>1.68</strong>, a <strong>0.69% decline</strong> from 2019.</li>
<li> fertility rate for 2019 was <strong>1.69</strong>, a <strong>1.55% decline</strong> from 2018.</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.

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