Fertility Rates in Selected Countries

Chart by
Last updated: Monday June 28th, 2021

Fertility rates in most Western countries are well below replacement. India's birth rate has fallen dramatically. But birth rates in Africa remain high.

Loading Chart

Show Chart Data >>

Hide Chart Data >>

Year	Nigeria	India	United States	Japan
1960	6.354	5.906	3.654	2.001
1961	6.351	5.902	3.62	2.05
1962	6.346	5.894	3.461	2.01
1963	6.341	5.88	3.319	2.02
1964	6.336	5.859	3.19	2.05
1965	6.335	5.83	2.913	2.139
1966	6.342	5.794	2.721	1.58
1967	6.359	5.751	2.558	2.02
1968	6.387	5.702	2.464	2.13
1969	6.425	5.648	2.456	2.13
1970	6.471	5.587	2.48	2.135
1971	6.522	5.519	2.266	2.16
1972	6.575	5.444	2.01	2.14
1973	6.625	5.363	1.879	2.14
1974	6.669	5.278	1.835	2.05
1975	6.706	5.192	1.774	1.909
1976	6.735	5.108	1.738	1.85
1977	6.757	5.029	1.79	1.8
1978	6.772	4.956	1.76	1.79
1979	6.781	4.889	1.808	1.77
1980	6.783	4.827	1.8395	1.75
1981	6.779	4.766	1.812	1.74
1982	6.767	4.703	1.8275	1.77
1983	6.749	4.636	1.799	1.8
1984	6.726	4.563	1.8065	1.81
1985	6.698	4.484	1.844	1.76
1986	6.664	4.399	1.8375	1.72
1987	6.625	4.311	1.872	1.69
1988	6.582	4.222	1.934	1.66
1989	6.537	4.132	2.014	1.57
1990	6.49	4.045	2.081	1.54
1991	6.443	3.959	2.0625	1.53
1992	6.395	3.877	2.046	1.502
1993	6.348	3.799	2.0195	1.458
1994	6.303	3.723	2.0015	1.5
1995	6.262	3.651	1.978	1.422
1996	6.224	3.582	1.976	1.425
1997	6.19	3.514	1.971	1.388
1998	6.159	3.446	1.999	1.384
1999	6.131	3.379	2.0075	1.342
2000	6.106	3.311	2.056	1.359
2001	6.083	3.244	2.0305	1.33
2002	6.06	3.176	2.0205	1.32
2003	6.036	3.109	2.0475	1.29
2004	6.011	3.041	2.0515	1.29
2005	5.985	2.972	2.057	1.26
2006	5.958	2.899	2.108	1.32
2007	5.93	2.823	2.12	1.34
2008	5.902	2.743	2.072	1.37
2009	5.872	2.661	2.002	1.37
2010	5.839	2.581	1.931	1.39
2011	5.802	2.506	1.8945	1.39
2012	5.758	2.439	1.8805	1.41
2013	5.709	2.381	1.8575	1.43
2014	5.653	2.333	1.8625	1.42
2015	5.592	2.295	1.8435	1.45
2016	5.526	2.266	1.8205	1.44
2017	5.457	2.243	1.7655	1.43
2018	5.387	2.222	1.7295	1.42
2019	5.317	2.202	1.705	1.36

20 Comments

Level 74

Jul 17, 2018

More intercourse then!

Level 34

Aug 22, 2018

Oh yeah - "Ferris Buller's Day Off"

Level 73

Aug 12, 2018

US needs more immigration, not less. Or destined to suffer from perpetual recession, as Japan has since 1990. Young, productive working people to support old, retired people. Ponzi, anyone?

Level ∞

Aug 14, 2018

Japan may be in a perpetual recession, but unemployment is 2.4%. Not bad!

Level 34

Aug 21, 2018

You do realise immigrants grow old too.

+12

Level 81

Aug 21, 2018

You do realize that it takes some time for young people to get old, right?

Level ∞

Jun 28, 2021

Then just get more immigrants. And then when they get old, even more, and then when they get old, and the whole world lives in your country, I guess space aliens could immigrate. It doesn't seem like a sustainable solution.

Level 74

Aug 21, 2018

or we could get our birth rates back up

+11

Level 81

Aug 21, 2018

One of these solutions is easy, the other is impossible.

Level 53

Dec 7, 2022

One is also more fun.

+18

Level ∞

Nov 12, 2019

If you're wondering why Japan had a sharp decline in births in 1966, it's because of a Japanese superstition that says it's bad luck for girls to be born in the year of the Fire Horse. This happens every 60 years. The next one will occur in 2026.

Level 74

Nov 14, 2019

Level 81

Nov 14, 2019

The power of stupidity in large numbers... and it's pretty funny there was a bit of a spike in '65... I guess those couples were trying to get one in under the wire.

Level 68

Nov 9, 2021

Knew this from Interesting facts!

Level 33

Nov 14, 2019

Surprising that India's population is growing but birth rate decreasing? WOW

Level 75

Nov 14, 2019

It's still above 2...

At least in 2017 it was. And if average life expectancy is increasing and / or people are having children younger then the current extant population can increase even if birth rates drop below replacement

Level 51

Aug 17, 2020

Most of the countries in the world have a increasing population growth rate, but a decreasing fertility rate.

Level 59

Mar 2, 2024

over 2.1 is needed + even after it drops below 2.1, it'l increase for a bit

Level 22

Mar 25, 2021

1966 in japan: AHH

Level 68

Nov 9, 2021

I think you forgot to include the key to show which colour represents which country at the top. But nice graph, one of the better ones.