Fertility rate: births per woman in Canada
Canada: Fertility rate: births per woman was 1.35 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
Fertility rate: births per woman in Canada, 1921–2023
Source: Human Fertility Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in live births per woman.
Analysis
Canada recorded 1.35 live births per woman for fertility rate: births per woman in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 103 years on record.
The figure is down 1.2% on the previous year and down 16.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate: births per woman in Canada peaked at 3.85 live births per woman in 1959 and was at its lowest, 1.35 live births per woman, in 2023.
Canada ranks 204th of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 103 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1920s | 3.3 live births per woman | 3.13 live births per woman | 3.53 live births per woman | 9 |
| 1930s | 2.86 live births per woman | 2.64 live births per woman | 3.28 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1940s | 3.14 live births per woman | 2.76 live births per woman | 3.58 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1950s | 3.68 live births per woman | 3.37 live births per woman | 3.85 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.14 live births per woman | 2.36 live births per woman | 3.82 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.86 live births per woman | 1.67 live births per woman | 2.27 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.61 live births per woman | 1.56 live births per woman | 1.66 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.65 live births per woman | 1.54 live births per woman | 1.72 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.58 live births per woman | 1.51 live births per woman | 1.68 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.58 live births per woman | 1.48 live births per woman | 1.64 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.39 live births per woman | 1.35 live births per woman | 1.43 live births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near Canada
More reference data data for Canada
- Number of child deaths per woman 0.0085 under-five deaths per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.35 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 1.35 live births per woman (2023)
- Human Development Index 0.939 (2023)
- Rule of Law - Governance estimate 1.46 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Rule of Law - Governance score 82.11 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate 1.5 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance score 83.17 0-100 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance estimate 0.5985 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance score 76.12 0-100 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate: births per woman in Canada?
- Fertility rate: births per woman in Canada was 1.35 live births per woman in 2023, according to Human Fertility Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 3.85 live births per woman in 1959.
- What is the lowest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.35 live births per woman in 2023.
- How does Canada rank for fertility rate: births per woman?
- Canada ranks 204th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility rate: births per woman rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from Human Fertility Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility rate: births per woman. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
The average number of live births a hypothetical cohort of women would have at the end of their reproductive period if they were subject during their whole lives to the fertility rates of a given period and if they were not subject to mortality.