Fertility rate: births per woman in United States
United States: Fertility rate: births per woman was 1.62 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
Fertility rate: births per woman in United States, 1933–2023
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
United States recorded 1.62 live births per woman for fertility rate: births per woman in 2023.
That represents a change of down 2.5% on the previous year and down 11.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate: births per woman in United States peaked at 3.75 live births per woman in 1958 and was at its lowest, 1.62 live births per woman, in 2020.
That places United States 149th 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 91 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 2.04 live births per woman | 2.01 live births per woman | 2.09 live births per woman | 7 |
| 1940s | 2.62 live births per woman | 2.11 live births per woman | 3.16 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1950s | 3.47 live births per woman | 3.09 live births per woman | 3.75 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.1 live births per woman | 2.5 live births per woman | 3.73 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.98 live births per woman | 1.78 live births per woman | 2.52 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.88 live births per woman | 1.83 live births per woman | 2.01 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 2 live births per woman | 1.96 live births per woman | 2.07 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.04 live births per woman | 1.99 live births per woman | 2.1 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.81 live births per woman | 1.68 live births per woman | 1.92 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.63 live births per woman | 1.62 live births per woman | 1.67 live births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States
More reference data data for United States
- Number of child deaths per woman 0.0123 under-five deaths per woman (2024)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.62 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. Human Development Index 1.62 live births per woman (2023)
- Human Development Index 0.938 (2023)
- Rule of Law - Governance estimate 0.9618 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Rule of Law - Governance score 73.52 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance score 72.37 0-100 (2024)
- Voice and Accountability - Governance estimate 0.887 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance estimate -0.0951 approx. -2.5 to +2.5 (2024)
- Political Stability - Governance score 64.27 0-100 (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate: births per woman in United States?
- Fertility rate: births per woman in United States was 1.62 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 United States?
- The highest recorded value was 3.75 live births per woman in 1958.
- What is the lowest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.62 live births per woman in 2020.
- How does United States rank for fertility rate: births per woman?
- United States ranks 149th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility rate: births per woman rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States 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.