Fertility rate: births per woman in India
India: Fertility rate: births per woman was 1.98 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
Fertility rate: births per woman in India, 1950–2023
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
India recorded 1.98 live births per woman for fertility rate: births per woman in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.0% on the previous year and down 17.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate: births per woman in India peaked at 5.98 live births per woman in 1964 and was at its lowest, 1.98 live births per woman, in 2023.
That places India 117th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 5.86 live births per woman | 5.73 live births per woman | 5.91 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 5.88 live births per woman | 5.68 live births per woman | 5.98 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 5.24 live births per woman | 4.81 live births per woman | 5.62 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.47 live births per woman | 4.13 live births per woman | 4.78 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.7 live births per woman | 3.38 live births per woman | 4.04 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 3 live births per woman | 2.67 live births per woman | 3.35 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.34 live births per woman | 2.12 live births per woman | 2.6 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.01 live births per woman | 1.98 live births per woman | 2.05 live births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near India
More reference data data for India
- Number of child deaths per woman 0.0574 under-five deaths per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 1.98 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.98 live births per woman (2023)
- Human Development Index 0.685 (2023)
- Rule of Law - Governance score 56.29 0-100 (2024)
- Rule of Law - Governance estimate -0.0392 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate -0.0789 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance score 55.47 0-100 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance score 52.47 0-100 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance estimate -0.7858 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate: births per woman in India?
- Fertility rate: births per woman in India was 1.98 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 India?
- The highest recorded value was 5.98 live births per woman in 1964.
- What is the lowest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.98 live births per woman in 2023.
- How does India rank for fertility rate: births per woman?
- India ranks 117th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility rate: births per woman rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India 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.
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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.