Fertility rate: births per woman in Sweden
Sweden: Fertility rate: births per woman was 1.43 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
Fertility rate: births per woman in Sweden, 1891–2023
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
Sweden recorded 1.43 live births per woman for fertility rate: births per woman in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 133 years on record.
The figure is down 7.0% on the previous year and down 24.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate: births per woman in Sweden peaked at 4.14 live births per woman in 1891 and was at its lowest, 1.43 live births per woman, in 2023.
That places Sweden 188th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 133 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1890s | 4.03 live births per woman | 3.93 live births per woman | 4.14 live births per woman | 9 |
| 1900s | 3.84 live births per woman | 3.73 live births per woman | 4.01 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1910s | 3.13 live births per woman | 2.71 live births per woman | 3.57 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1920s | 2.42 live births per woman | 1.93 live births per woman | 3.2 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1930s | 1.78 live births per woman | 1.68 live births per woman | 1.93 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1940s | 2.33 live births per woman | 1.82 live births per woman | 2.59 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1950s | 2.25 live births per woman | 2.18 live births per woman | 2.29 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.24 live births per woman | 1.93 live births per woman | 2.45 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.79 live births per woman | 1.6 live births per woman | 1.96 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.75 live births per woman | 1.61 live births per woman | 2.02 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.8 live births per woman | 1.5 live births per woman | 2.12 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.76 live births per woman | 1.54 live births per woman | 1.93 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.85 live births per woman | 1.71 live births per woman | 1.97 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.58 live births per woman | 1.43 live births per woman | 1.67 live births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sweden
- 185 Germany 1.44 live births per woman compare
- 186 Cuba 1.44 live births per woman compare
- 187 Switzerland 1.43 live births per woman compare
- 188 Netherlands 1.43 live births per woman compare
- 190 Wallis and Futuna 1.41 live births per woman compare
- 191 Uruguay 1.41 live births per woman compare
More reference data data for Sweden
- Number of child deaths per woman 0.0046 under-five deaths per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.43 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 1.43 live births per woman (2023)
- Human Development Index 0.959 (2023)
- Rule of Law - Governance estimate 1.73 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Rule of Law - Governance score 86.68 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate 1.73 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance score 87.09 0-100 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance estimate 0.6035 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance score 76.2 0-100 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate: births per woman in Sweden?
- Fertility rate: births per woman in Sweden was 1.43 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 Sweden?
- The highest recorded value was 4.14 live births per woman in 1891.
- What is the lowest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in Sweden?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.43 live births per woman in 2023.
- How does Sweden rank for fertility rate: births per woman?
- Sweden ranks 188th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility rate: births per woman rising or falling in Sweden?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sweden 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.