Fertility Rate by Country (2024)

The Global Fertility Transition

The total fertility rate is the average number of children a woman would have over her lifetime at the current year's birth rates for each age. In the 1960s women worldwide had about five children on average, according to UN estimates, and fertility has since fallen in every region. The drivers are remarkably consistent across cultures: female education, urbanization, access to contraception, falling child mortality (parents need fewer births to reach the family size they want), and the shift from farming to service economies. The average of the 217 countries in this table is 2.35 and the median 1.90; both count every country equally, so neither is the world rate.

The replacement level, about 2.1 children per woman, keeps a population stable without immigration. 119 of the 217 countries are now below it. South Korea's rate was 0.75 in 2024, which points to a rapidly shrinking workforce and a fast-rising share of older people. Italy (1.18), Japan (1.15), Spain (1.10) and China (1.01) are also far below replacement. See the Japan economy page for what an ageing, shrinking population means for growth.

At the other extreme, Chad has 6.03 children per woman, and 25 countries are above 4. The divide between high-fertility countries, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa, and the low-fertility countries of East Asia and Europe is reshaping the world's demographic landscape. Today's birth rates determine tomorrow's labor force, consumer markets and pension obligations, which makes fertility data central to long-term economic planning.