Fertility rate: births per woman in Portugal
Portugal: Fertility rate: births per woman was 1.51 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
Fertility rate: births per woman in Portugal, 1940–2023
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
The most recent figure for fertility rate: births per woman in Portugal is 1.51 live births per woman, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 3.8% on the previous year and up 24.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate: births per woman in Portugal peaked at 3.48 live births per woman in 1948 and was at its lowest, 1.21 live births per woman, in 2013.
Portugal ranks 167th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 84 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 3.28 live births per woman | 3.11 live births per woman | 3.48 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1950s | 3.11 live births per woman | 2.96 live births per woman | 3.2 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.17 live births per woman | 3.11 live births per woman | 3.23 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.73 live births per woman | 2.31 live births per woman | 3.01 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.85 live births per woman | 1.57 live births per woman | 2.25 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.49 live births per woman | 1.41 live births per woman | 1.56 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.42 live births per woman | 1.35 live births per woman | 1.54 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.33 live births per woman | 1.21 live births per woman | 1.42 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.42 live births per woman | 1.33 live births per woman | 1.51 live births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near Portugal
- 164 Kuwait 1.52 live births per woman compare
- 165 Cape Verde 1.52 live births per woman compare
- 166 Denmark 1.51 live births per woman compare
- 168 Saint Kitts and Nevis 1.5 live births per woman compare
- 169 French Polynesia 1.5 live births per woman compare
- 170 Argentina 1.5 live births per woman compare
- 170 Serbia 1.5 live births per woman compare
More reference data data for Portugal
- Number of child deaths per woman 0.0041 under-five deaths per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.51 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 1.51 live births per woman (2023)
- Human Development Index 0.89 (2023)
- Rule of Law - Governance estimate 1.07 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Rule of Law - Governance score 75.42 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance score 78.99 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate 1.27 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance estimate 0.5369 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance score 75.07 0-100 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate: births per woman in Portugal?
- Fertility rate: births per woman in Portugal was 1.51 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 Portugal?
- The highest recorded value was 3.48 live births per woman in 1948.
- What is the lowest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in Portugal?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.21 live births per woman in 2013.
- How does Portugal rank for fertility rate: births per woman?
- Portugal ranks 167th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility rate: births per woman rising or falling in Portugal?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Portugal 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.