Fertility rate: births per woman in Iran
Iran: Fertility rate: births per woman was 1.7 live births per woman in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Fertility rate: births per woman in Iran, 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
In 2023, fertility rate: births per woman in Iran stood at 1.7 live births per woman. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and down 11.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate: births per woman in Iran peaked at 7.57 live births per woman in 1959 and was at its lowest, 1.7 live births per woman, in 2023.
That places Iran 140th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 7.18 live births per woman | 6.97 live births per woman | 7.57 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 7.27 live births per woman | 7.01 live births per woman | 7.52 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.27 live births per woman | 5.95 live births per woman | 6.8 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.14 live births per woman | 5.17 live births per woman | 6.63 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.25 live births per woman | 2.09 live births per woman | 4.93 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.81 live births per woman | 1.74 live births per woman | 2 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.91 live births per woman | 1.75 live births per woman | 2.05 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.7 live births per woman | 1.7 live births per woman | 1.71 live births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iran
- 137 Armenia 1.71 live births per woman compare
- 138 Romania 1.71 live births per woman compare
- 139 Barbados 1.71 live births per woman compare
- 141 Falkland Islands 1.69 live births per woman compare
- 142 Azerbaijan 1.67 live births per woman compare
- 143 New Zealand 1.67 live births per woman compare
More reference data data for Iran
- Number of child deaths per woman 0.0171 under-five deaths per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 1.7 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.7 live births per woman (2023)
- Human Development Index 0.799 (2023)
- Rule of Law - Governance score 35.71 0-100 (2024)
- Rule of Law - Governance estimate -1.23 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate -1.55 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance score 29.75 0-100 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance score 38.89 0-100 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance estimate -1.58 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate: births per woman in Iran?
- Fertility rate: births per woman in Iran was 1.7 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 Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 7.57 live births per woman in 1959.
- What is the lowest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.7 live births per woman in 2023.
- How does Iran rank for fertility rate: births per woman?
- Iran ranks 140th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility rate: births per woman rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Iran 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.