Iceland vs United States: Fertility rate, total (births per woman) (UNESCO Institute)
Iceland
1.59 births per woman
in 2023
United States
1.62 births per woman
in 2023
Iceland rank
138th
United States rank
135th
Fertility rate, total (births per woman) (UNESCO Institute) over time
- Iceland
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 1.62 births per woman against 1.59 births per woman in Iceland, a difference of 0.03 births per woman.
The two have swapped places 7 times across 54 shared years of data; in 1970 it was Iceland ahead.
Iceland ranks 138th and United States ranks 135th of 215 countries.
Iceland has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iceland | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.67 births per woman | 1.93 births per woman | 0.74 births per woman | Iceland |
| 1980s | 2.18 births per woman | 1.86 births per woman | 0.3174 births per woman | Iceland |
| 1990s | 2.13 births per woman | 2.01 births per woman | 0.1188 births per woman | Iceland |
| 2000s | 2.06 births per woman | 2.06 births per woman | 0.0025 births per woman | Iceland |
| 2010s | 1.88 births per woman | 1.83 births per woman | 0.0529 births per woman | Iceland |
| 2020s | 1.68 births per woman | 1.64 births per woman | 0.0351 births per woman | Iceland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher fertility rate, total, Iceland or United States?
- United States, at 1.62 births per woman against 1.59 births per woman in Iceland as of 2023.
- What is the difference in fertility rate, total between Iceland and United States?
- 0.03 births per woman, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and United States?
- 54 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2023.
- How do Iceland and United States rank globally for fertility rate, total?
- Iceland ranks 138th and United States ranks 135th of 215 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Fertility rate, total (births per woman). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release