Fertility rate by country
Explore births per woman, rankings and fertility trends.
What it measures
The total fertility rate is a period measure obtained by summing the age-specific fertility rates observed in a year. It represents the number of births a hypothetical woman would have if she experienced those rates throughout her reproductive life. It supports comparisons across countries and time, but it is not the number of children a particular woman will have or the completed fertility of a real cohort.
How to interpret it
A rate of 1.9 describes the aggregate fertility pattern of that period. Population replacement also depends on mortality, sex composition and migration, so it is not a universal fixed threshold.
Key figures
Source
World Bank — World Development Indicators
World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division; Statistical databases and publications from national statistical offices, National Statistical Offices (NSOs); Demographic Statistics, Eurostat (ESTAT)
Limitations
- This is a synthetic period measure, not completed cohort fertility.
- It may rely on birth registration or, where registration is limited, censuses, surveys, extrapolation or models.
- Annual World Population Prospects series may be interpolated from five-year data.
- International ranking
- Compare countries
- Total fertility rate over time
- Download data as CSV
Indicator
International ranking
| Rank | Country | Year | Value |
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Trends and comparison
Accessible data table
| Country | Year | Exact value |
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