Annual birth rate and peak birth month in Canada

Canada: Annual birth rate and peak birth month was 8.9 births per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
8.9 births per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 2.4%
World rank
26th
of 41 countries
All-time high
29.5 births per 1,000 people
in 1921
All-time low
8.9 births per 1,000 people
in 2023
Years of data
103
1921–2023

Annual birth rate and peak birth month in Canada, 1921–2023

1015202530192119722023

Source: Human Mortality Database (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per 1,000 people.

Analysis

The most recent figure for annual birth rate and peak birth month in Canada is 8.9 births per 1,000 people, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 103 years on record.

That represents a change of down 2.4% on the previous year and down 18.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, annual birth rate and peak birth month in Canada peaked at 29.5 births per 1,000 people in 1921 and was at its lowest, 8.9 births per 1,000 people, in 2023.

That places Canada 26th out of 41 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 103 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1920s 26.15 births per 1,000 people 23.68 births per 1,000 people 29.5 births per 1,000 people 9
1930s 21.36 births per 1,000 people 20.03 births per 1,000 people 24.05 births per 1,000 people 10
1940s 25.05 births per 1,000 people 21.58 births per 1,000 people 28.9 births per 1,000 people 10
1950s 28.13 births per 1,000 people 27.37 births per 1,000 people 28.87 births per 1,000 people 10
1960s 22.19 births per 1,000 people 17.7 births per 1,000 people 27 births per 1,000 people 10
1970s 15.75 births per 1,000 people 15.05 births per 1,000 people 17.56 births per 1,000 people 10
1980s 14.66 births per 1,000 people 14.08 births per 1,000 people 15.22 births per 1,000 people 10
1990s 13 births per 1,000 people 11.14 births per 1,000 people 14.76 births per 1,000 people 10
2000s 10.91 births per 1,000 people 10.55 births per 1,000 people 11.44 births per 1,000 people 10
2010s 10.71 births per 1,000 people 10 births per 1,000 people 11.17 births per 1,000 people 10
2020s 9.32 births per 1,000 people 8.9 births per 1,000 people 9.71 births per 1,000 people 4

Countries ranked near Canada

  1. 23 Slovenia 9.29 births per 1,000 people compare
  2. 24 Netherlands 9.23 births per 1,000 people compare
  3. 25 Switzerland 9.08 births per 1,000 people compare
  4. 27 Croatia 8.83 births per 1,000 people compare
  5. 28 Austria 8.52 births per 1,000 people compare
  6. 29 Bulgaria 8.48 births per 1,000 people compare

See the full ranking of 41 places →

More population data for Canada

All data for Canada →

Frequently asked questions

What is annual birth rate and peak birth month in Canada?
Annual birth rate and peak birth month in Canada was 8.9 births per 1,000 people in 2023, according to Human Mortality Database (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest annual birth rate and peak birth month recorded in Canada?
The highest recorded value was 29.5 births per 1,000 people in 1921.
What is the lowest annual birth rate and peak birth month recorded in Canada?
The lowest recorded value was 8.9 births per 1,000 people in 2023.
How does Canada rank for annual birth rate and peak birth month?
Canada ranks 26th out of 41 countries with data for 2023.
Is annual birth rate and peak birth month rising or falling in Canada?
Over the last ten years it is down 18.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Canada data come from?
The figures come from Human Mortality Database (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual birth rate and peak birth month. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 103 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Annual birth rate and peak birth month
Unit
births per 1,000 people
Source
Human Mortality Database (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
41 places, 3,818 data points, 1751–2024
Last refreshed

The total number of births per 1,000 people in a given year.