Total fertility rate globally and by continent 1950-2024

The total fertility rate of the world has dropped from around five children per woman in 1950, to 2.3 children per woman in 2023, which means that women today are having fewer than half the number of children that women did 75 years ago. This change has come as a result of the global demographic transition, and is influenced by factors such as the significant reduction in infant and child mortality, reduced number of child marriages, increased educational and vocational opportunities for women, and the increased efficacy and availability of contraception. While this change has become synonymous with societal progress, it does have wide-reaching demographic impact - if the global average falls below replacement level (roughly 2.1 children per woman), as is expected to happen in the 2050s, then this will lead to long-term population decline on a global scale.

When broken down by continent, Africa is the only region with a fertility rate above the global average, while it and Oceania are the only regions with above replacement level fertility rates. Until the 1980s, women in Africa could expect to have almost seven children throughout the course of their lifetimes, and there are still eight countries in Africa where the average woman of childbearing age can still expect to have five or more children in 2023. Historically, Europe has had the lowest fertility rate in the world over the past century, falling below replacement level in 1975 - Europe's population has grown through a combination of migration and increasing life expectancy, however even high immigration rates could not prevent its population from going into decline in 2021.

Fertility rate in each continent and worldwide, from 1950 to 2024

Characteristic	World	Africa	Asia	Europe	Latin America and Caribbean	North America	Oceania
2024*	2.31	4.12	1.93	1.51	1.83	1.65	2.13
2023*	2.31	4.18	1.93	1.5	1.84	1.64	2.13
2022*	2.31	4.24	1.94	1.49	1.85	1.64	2.14
2021	2.32	4.31	1.94	1.48	1.86	1.64	2.15
2020	2.35	4.36	1.98	1.47	1.9	1.63	2.16
2019	2.41	4.42	2.07	1.49	1.93	1.67	2.22
2018	2.44	4.47	2.11	1.53	1.98	1.7	2.29
2017	2.5	4.52	2.2	1.56	2.01	1.74	2.31
2016	2.53	4.56	2.22	1.62	2.03	1.79	2.34
2015	2.52	4.63	2.21	1.62	2.08	1.82	2.37
2014	2.55	4.67	2.26	1.62	2.1	1.83	2.38
2013	2.56	4.72	2.27	1.6	2.12	1.83	2.44
2012	2.59	4.77	2.32	1.62	2.14	1.85	2.49
2011	2.57	4.82	2.29	1.6	2.17	1.87	2.49
2010	2.59	4.86	2.31	1.61	2.19	1.9	2.53
2009	2.61	4.89	2.34	1.6	2.21	1.97	2.54
2008	2.61	4.93	2.35	1.59	2.24	2.03	2.59
2007	2.61	4.95	2.36	1.54	2.27	2.07	2.58
2006	2.61	4.97	2.37	1.5	2.31	2.05	2.51
2005	2.62	5	2.39	1.47	2.35	2.01	2.48
2004	2.64	5.02	2.42	1.47	2.39	2	2.46
2003	2.65	5.06	2.44	1.45	2.42	1.99	2.45
2002	2.67	5.1	2.48	1.42	2.49	1.97	2.44
2001	2.7	5.14	2.52	1.41	2.55	1.98	2.44
2000	2.73	5.18	2.57	1.42	2.61	1.99	2.45
1999	2.73	5.22	2.56	1.4	2.67	1.96	2.44
1998	2.76	5.27	2.59	1.42	2.73	1.95	2.43
1997	2.79	5.34	2.64	1.43	2.79	1.93	2.44
1996	2.83	5.42	2.68	1.45	2.85	1.94	2.45
1995	2.88	5.51	2.74	1.46	2.92	1.94	2.46
1994	2.93	5.59	2.8	1.5	2.98	1.97	2.48
1993	2.98	5.67	2.86	1.53	3.04	1.98	2.5
1992	3.04	5.76	2.93	1.6	3.1	2.01	2.51
1991	3.13	5.83	3.05	1.66	3.18	2.02	2.5
1990	3.31	5.91	3.32	1.72	3.25	2.04	2.54
1989	3.35	6.02	3.36	1.76	3.33	1.98	2.5
1988	3.39	6.11	3.41	1.82	3.41	1.91	2.51
1987	3.48	6.2	3.55	1.84	3.5	1.85	2.51
1986	3.51	6.26	3.58	1.84	3.59	1.82	2.53
1985	3.52	6.34	3.59	1.84	3.68	1.82	2.56
1984	3.55	6.41	3.64	1.86	3.77	1.79	2.52
1983	3.58	6.47	3.67	1.87	3.87	1.78	2.58
1982	3.71	6.51	3.88	1.89	3.97	1.81	2.59
1981	3.72	6.56	3.88	1.89	4.06	1.8	2.62
1980	3.75	6.6	3.91	1.93	4.16	1.82	2.61
1979	3.78	6.64	3.95	1.95	4.27	1.8	2.64
1978	3.79	6.66	3.97	1.96	4.37	1.76	2.68
1977	3.85	6.67	4.06	1.99	4.47	1.78	2.75
1976	3.98	6.68	4.27	2.03	4.56	1.75	2.81
1975	4.08	6.69	4.43	2.07	4.66	1.78	2.89
1974	4.27	6.7	4.72	2.13	4.76	1.83	3.05
1973	4.42	6.7	4.98	2.14	4.88	1.88	3.2
1972	4.55	6.71	5.16	2.21	4.98	2.01	3.42
1971	4.68	6.71	5.35	2.27	5.09	2.25	3.59
1970	4.83	6.71	5.59	2.28	5.19	2.45	3.56
1969	4.87	6.71	5.65	2.33	5.28	2.43	3.6
1968	4.96	6.72	5.8	2.38	5.38	2.44	3.61
1967	4.86	6.72	5.59	2.42	5.49	2.53	3.6
1966	4.96	6.72	5.77	2.42	5.59	2.67	3.64
1965	5.08	6.71	5.95	2.45	5.68	2.89	3.72
1964	5.13	6.72	6	2.5	5.76	3.17	3.88
1963	5.32	6.71	6.32	2.52	5.82	3.31	4.03
1962	5.03	6.71	5.8	2.53	5.84	3.42	4.11
1961	4.57	6.69	4.96	2.56	5.86	3.55	4.18
1960	4.7	6.67	5.19	2.58	5.87	3.58	4.11
1959	4.74	6.66	5.29	2.6	5.87	3.61	4.09
1958	4.94	6.65	5.66	2.6	5.87	3.6	4.06
1957	5.08	6.64	5.93	2.62	5.86	3.64	4.04
1956	4.94	6.63	5.7	2.62	5.85	3.57	3.97
1955	5.01	6.62	5.86	2.63	5.84	3.47	3.91
1954	5.01	6.61	5.88	2.64	5.83	3.43	3.83
1953	4.94	6.61	5.77	2.64	5.82	3.31	3.81
1952	5.01	6.6	5.94	2.66	5.81	3.24	3.79
1951	4.83	6.59	5.62	2.66	5.8	3.14	3.69
1950	4.86	6.59	5.71	2.7	5.8	2.97	3.67