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.

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.

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

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.

This map service, derived from World Bank data, shows various characteristics of the Health topic. The World Bank Group provides financing, state-of-the-art analysis, and policy advice to help countries expand access to quality, affordable health care; protects people from falling into poverty or worsening poverty due to illness; and promotes investments in all sectors that form the foundation of healthy societies.Age Dependency Ratio: Age dependency ratio is the ratio of dependents--people younger than 15 or older than 64--to the working-age population--those ages 15-64. Data are shown as the proportion of dependents per 100 working-age population. Data from 1960 – 2012.Age Dependency Ratio Old: Age dependency ratio, old, is the ratio of older dependents--people older than 64--to the working-age population--those ages 15-64. Data are shown as the proportion of dependents per 100 working-age population. Data from 1960 – 2012.Birth/Death Rate: Crude birth/death rate indicates the number of births/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. Data spans from 1960 – 2008.Total Fertility: 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 current age-specific fertility rates. Data shown is for 1960 - 2008.Population Growth: Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage.
Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which
counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except
for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are
generally considered part of the population of the country of origin. Data spans from 1960 – 2009.Life Expectancy: Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant
would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life. Data spans from 1960 – 2008.Population Female: Female population is the percentage of the population that is female. Population is based on the de facto definition of population. Data from 1960 – 2009.For more information, please visit: World Bank Open Data. _Other International User Community content that may interest you World Bank World Bank Age World Bank Health

Historical chart and dataset showing Nigeria fertility rate by year from 1950 to 2025.

Time series data for the statistic Fertility_Rate and country Bermuda. Indicator Definition: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.The statistic "Fertility Rate" stands at 1.40 births per woman as of 12/31/2023. Regarding the One-Year-Change of the series, the current value constitutes an increase of 0.2863 percent compared to the value the year prior.The 1 year change in percent is 0.2863.The 3 year change in percent is -3.45.The 5 year change in percent is 1.97.The 10 year change in percent is -7.95.The Serie's long term average value is 1.93 births per woman. It's latest available value, on 12/31/2023, is 27.46 percent lower, compared to it's long term average value.The Serie's change in percent from it's minimum value, on 12/31/2018, to it's latest available value, on 12/31/2023, is +1.97%.The Serie's change in percent from it's maximum value, on 12/31/1960, to it's latest available value, on 12/31/2023, is -61.40%.

Russia Rosstat Forecast: Mean: Fertility Rate data was reported at 1.700 NA in 2035. This records an increase from the previous number of 1.691 NA for 2034. Russia Rosstat Forecast: Mean: Fertility Rate data is updated yearly, averaging 1.650 NA from Dec 2017 (Median) to 2035, with 19 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.700 NA in 2035 and a record low of 1.583 NA in 2021. Russia Rosstat Forecast: Mean: Fertility Rate data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Federal State Statistics Service. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Russian Federation – Table RU.GD012: Vital Statistics: Forecast: Rosstat: Annual. Number of children per 1 female Число детей в расчете на 1 женщин

Graph and download economic data for Crude Birth Rate for the United States (SPDYNCBRTINUSA) from 1960 to 2023 about birth, crude, rate, and USA.

Abstract

This survey is part of a fertility survey series conducted in the 1970s and 1980s, covering contraceptives, reproductive health, breastfeeding and complete birth histories.Currently housed by Princeton, these surveys were originally done under the auspices of the International Statistical Institute from the 70s to the early 80s.

Between October 1981 and August 1982, a World Fertility Survey (WFS) was conducted in Nigeria, the most populated country in Africa. Nigeria has a population of 93.7 million (1984) and an estimated growth rate of 3.0%-3.5% WFS findings indicate that current conditions in Nigeria are conducive to continued rapid population growth in the future. These conditions include high fertility, strong pronatalist attitudes, an increase in the proportion of young people in the population, a low level of contraceptive knowledge and use, high infant and child mortality rates, and a decrease in breastfeeding duration and in postpartum sexual abstinence duration among urban and educated women. In the survey information was collected from a sample of 8623 households and from 9727 women of reproductive age residing in those households. These completed interviews represented a 93.4 response rate for the households and a 96.0% response rate for the individual women. 56.1% of the households were occupied by a nuclear family, 23.6% were occupied by an extended family, and 20.3% contained no married couples. Mean household size was 5.09 in urban areas and 5.83 in rural areas. Housing conditions were relatively poor in both rural and urban areas. 83.5% of the surveyed women were ever married. Marriage was almost universal; only 0.6% of the women aged 44-49 never married. Marriages were relatively stable, and those who divorced tended to promplty remarry. Preliminary analysis indicates that the age at marriage may be decreasing. The mean age at 1st marriage was 16.0 years for women aged 25-29 and 17.7 years for women aged 40-44. 42.6% of the currently married women were in polynous unions, and the mean age difference between husbands and wives was 12.56 years. 77.4% of the interviewed women were illiterate, 77.4% resided in rural areas, 35.0% were currently not working, 45.9% were Muslim, and 44.9% were Christian. Among all the surveyed women, the mean number of children ever born was 3.07. Women aged 45-49 had a mean of 5.84 ever born children. The total fertility rate for the 5-year period preceding the study was 6.34, and the total fertility rate for ever married women was 7.48. Women with secondary or higher educations had lower fertility than women with less education; however, women with primary schooling only had higher fertility than those with no schooling. Urban and rural fertility differences were small, but there were marked regional differences in fertility patterns. Preliminary analysis indicates that fertility increased between the early 1960s and mid-1970s, but declined slightly since then. Only 5% of the surveyed women wanted no more children, and average desired family size among currently married and fecund women was 8.3 children. Although infant and child mortality declined in recent years, the respective rates were still 84.8 and 144.5 for 1975-9. Among surveyed women, 66.3% had no knowledge of any contraceptive method. 85.9% never used any contraceptive method, 12.5% ever used an inefficient method (mainly postpartum abstinence), and only 2.6% ever used an efficient method. Only 0.7% of exposed women currently used an efficient contraceptive method. Breastfeeding is universal. Mean breastfeeding duration for the next to last child was 16.6 months. For ever married women, the mean duration of post partum amenorrhea in the last closed birth interval was 10.4 months, and the mean duration of sexual abstinence following the next to last birth was 14.1 months. The duration of both breastfeeding and postpartum sexual abstinence is shorter among educated and urban women than among rural and uneducated women.Source: Voorburg, Netherlands, International Statistical Institute, 1984 Sep. 18 p. (WFS Summary of Findings No. 49)

Geographic coverage

National

Analysis unit

Households, Individuals

Universe

All women, 15-49

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The 250 enumeration areas (EAs)of the Nigeria Fertility Survey are a subsample of the EAs used for the National Demographic Sample Survey 1980. It was originally intended as a self-weighting sample but problems of implementation led to the abandoning of this. The final sample of size 9727 includes weights to allow for the unequal probabilities of selection. The household and individual interviews were conducted on the same visit by the same (female) interviewers.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The WFS Headquarters prepared survey documents for general guidance and use, principal among these being the survey instruments or questionnaires.

Two basic instruments were the Hosuehold schedule and the individual questionnaire for women. 1. The Household Questionnaire covered topics such as age, sex, marital status of household members 2. Individual questionnaire for women provides detailed information on maternity and marriage histories, contraceptive knowledge and use, and fertility regulation.

A husbands questionnaire and an individual core questionnaire for low fertility countries were also developed. Optional supplementary modules on : - Abortion - Community level variables - Economic questionnaires - Factors other than contaception affecting fertility (FOTCAF) - Family planning - Fertility regulation - General mortality

The FOTCAF module measures biological factors and traditional practices that affect fertility in countries with low levels of contraceptive use. It includes questions on the lengths of: breastfeeding, unsupplemented breastfeeding, postpartum amenorrhea, and postpartum abstinence. The WFS core questionnaire included a complete live birth history; questions on the respondent's age, characteristics, and contraceptive use; and a record of the dates of marriages and marriage dissolutions. For African countries, one or more questions were asked about polygyny. Also included were questions on whether a woman's husband had other wives, and all (except Ghana) asked wives in polygynous marriages about their rank (first wife, second wife, and so forth). Several countries also asked about the number of other wives in the marriage.

In the Nigeria survey, the WFS core questionnaire, the FOTCAF Module, as well as supplementary surveys for household members and community were used. The FOTCAF module was modified so that (a) information was gathered about live-birth rather than pregnancy intervals and (b) provision was made to record information about the third to last interval, if this interval started within the five years preceding the survey. The latter ammendment removes much of the selection bias inherent in the standard FOTCAF module which is restricted to the last and last-but-one intervals.

Also recorded in the survey are : Place of and assistance at delivery of recently born children ; the existence of grandsons and granddaughters of the respondent, as well as the age of oldest. The purpose of these data is to test the hypothesis that the attainment of grandmotherhood is associated with terminal abstinence. The community survey covers availability of facilities (post office, health services, police, courts, bank) and provision of services (water, electricity, fuel, transport, specified goods).

Response rate

These completed interviews represented a 93.4 response rate for the households and a 96.0% response rate for the individual women.

Fertility rate, total (births per woman) in Pakistan was reported at 3.605 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Pakistan - Fertility rate, total (births per woman) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

Mean number of children that a woman could have during her childbearing age, unter Berücksichtigung der aktuellen durchschnittlichen Anzahl lebend geborener Kinder in verschiedenen Altersgruppen.

Definition:The crude birth rate is the annual number of live births per 1,000 population.Method of measurementThe crude birth rate is generally computed as a ratio. The numerator is the number of live births observed in a population during a reference period and the denominator is the number of person-years lived by the population during the same period. It is expressed as births per 1,000 population. Method of estimation:Data are taken from the most recent UN Population Division's "World Population Prospects". Other possible data sources:Population censusHousehold surveysPreferred data sources:Civil registration with complete coverageExpected frequency of data dissemination:Biennial (Two years)Data collected March 5, 2021 from: https://www.who.int/data/maternal-newborn-child-adolescent-ageing/indicator-explorer-new/mca/crude-birth-rate-(births-per-1000-population)

Time series data for the statistic Fertility_Rate and country Iceland. Indicator Definition: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.The statistic "Fertility Rate" stands at 1.59 births per woman as of 12/31/2023. Regarding the One-Year-Change of the series, the current value constitutes an increase of 0.0629 percent compared to the value the year prior.The 1 year change in percent is 0.0629.The 3 year change in percent is -7.56.The 5 year change in percent is -7.02.The 10 year change in percent is -17.62.The Serie's long term average value is 2.38 births per woman. It's latest available value, on 12/31/2023, is 33.33 percent lower, compared to it's long term average value.The Serie's change in percent from it's minimum value, on 12/31/2022, to it's latest available value, on 12/31/2023, is +0.0629%.The Serie's change in percent from it's maximum value, on 12/31/1960, to it's latest available value, on 12/31/2023, is -62.94%.

Graph and download economic data for Crude Birth Rate for the European Union (SPDYNCBRTINEUU) from 1960 to 2023 about EU, birth, crude, Europe, and rate.

This map service, derived from World Bank data, shows various characteristics of the Health topic. The World Bank Group provides financing, state-of-the-art analysis, and policy advice to help countries expand access to quality, affordable health care; protects people from falling into poverty or worsening poverty due to illness; and promotes investments in all sectors that form the foundation of healthy societies.Age Dependency Ratio: Age dependency ratio is the ratio of dependents--people younger than 15 or older than 64--to the working-age population--those ages 15-64. Data are shown as the proportion of dependents per 100 working-age population. Data from 1960 – 2012.Age Dependency Ratio Old: Age dependency ratio, old, is the ratio of older dependents--people older than 64--to the working-age population--those ages 15-64. Data are shown as the proportion of dependents per 100 working-age population. Data from 1960 – 2012.Birth/Death Rate: Crude birth/death rate indicates the number of births/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. Data spans from 1960 – 2008.Total Fertility: 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 current age-specific fertility rates. Data shown is for 1960 - 2008.Population Growth: Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage.
Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which
counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except
for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are
generally considered part of the population of the country of origin. Data spans from 1960 – 2009.Life Expectancy: Life expectancy at birth indicates the number of years a newborn infant
would live if prevailing patterns of mortality at the time of its birth were to stay the same throughout its life. Data spans from 1960 – 2008.Population Female: Female population is the percentage of the population that is female. Population is based on the de facto definition of population. Data from 1960 – 2009.For more information, please visit: World Bank Open Data. _Other International User Community content that may interest you World Bank World Bank Age World Bank Health

Mean number of children that a woman could have during her childbearing age, taking into consideration the current average number of children born alive for different age groups.

Time series data for the statistic Fertility_Rate and country Faroe Islands. Indicator Definition: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.The statistic "Fertility Rate" stands at 1.86 births per woman as of 12/31/2023, the lowest value at least since 12/31/1961, the period currently displayed. Regarding the One-Year-Change of the series, the current value constitutes a decrease of -10.27 percent compared to the value the year prior.The 1 year change in percent is -10.27.The 3 year change in percent is -20.90.The 5 year change in percent is -26.01.The 10 year change in percent is -27.00.The Serie's long term average value is 2.76 births per woman. It's latest available value, on 12/31/2023, is 32.63 percent lower, compared to it's long term average value.The Serie's change in percent from it's minimum value, on 12/31/2023, to it's latest available value, on 12/31/2023, is +0.0%.The Serie's change in percent from it's maximum value, on 12/31/1965, to it's latest available value, on 12/31/2023, is -54.51%.

In 1925, the total fertility rate of Iran was just over seven children per woman, meaning that the average woman in Iran could expect to have seven children over the course of their reproductive years. The fertility rate would see little change from this figure until the late 1960s, when modernization and significant decreases in child mortality would lead the fertility rate to fall to just over 6.2 in 1975. However, fertility would begin to rise again in the 1980s, as the modernization policies of the Shah would be replaced by Islamic economic and social platforms with the 1979 Islamic Revolution in the country. The total fertility rate in the country would peak at just over 6.5 children per woman in 1985, in response to strong encouragement by the Iranian government promoting larger families to improve Iran’s manpower advantage over Iraq in the 1980-1988 Iraq-Iran War. Following the war’s end with a UN-brokered ceasefire in 1988, fertility would fall sharply in the country, falling to 2.4 by the turn of the century, and falling below replacement-level in 2005. However, after bottoming out at 1.82 in 2010, fertility has risen somewhat in recent years, as the Iranian government has rolled out a series of economic incentives aimed at increasing fertility in the country. As a result, in 2020, the total fertility rate in Iran is estimated to have risen slightly, to 2.15 children per woman, above replacement-level.

Author: K Swanson, educator, Minnesota Alliance for Geographic EducationGrade/Audience: high schoolResource type: lessonSubject topic(s): populationRegion: worldStandards: Minnesota Social Studies Standards

Standard 5. The characteristics, distribution and migration of human populations on the earth’s surface influence human systems (cultural, economic and political systems).Objectives: Students will be able to:

1. Identify the major demographic indicators that indicate a high or low population growth rate.
2. Compare/contrast the regions of the world using demographic indicators such as growth rate, natural increase, fertility rate, crude birth rates, and crude death rates
3. Identify the regions of the world with the highest and lowest birth rates.
4. Analyze the three means to control population growth: increase death rate, decrease birth rate and government laws.Summary: Students will analyze demographic data from the Population Reference Bureau and determine which areas of the world contain the fastest and slowest population growth rates. Students will determine that the fastest growth rates are in Northern and Eastern Africa and the slowest growth rates are found in Eastern Europe. Students will write an editorial on the best means to control population.