Birth rate in Canada
Canada: Birth rate was 9.08 births per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Birth rate in Canada, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per 1,000 people.
Analysis
Canada recorded 9.08 births per 1,000 people for birth rate in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 16.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth rate in Canada peaked at 27.48 births per 1,000 people in 1954 and was at its lowest, 9.08 births per 1,000 people, in 2023.
That places Canada 188th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 26.79 births per 1,000 people | 26.14 births per 1,000 people | 27.48 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 21.17 births per 1,000 people | 16.94 births per 1,000 people | 25.83 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 15.17 births per 1,000 people | 14.72 births per 1,000 people | 16.61 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 14.35 births per 1,000 people | 13.83 births per 1,000 people | 14.79 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.93 births per 1,000 people | 11.05 births per 1,000 people | 14.5 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.78 births per 1,000 people | 10.46 births per 1,000 people | 11.28 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.61 births per 1,000 people | 9.86 births per 1,000 people | 11.05 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.33 births per 1,000 people | 9.08 births per 1,000 people | 9.62 births per 1,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Canada
- 185 Bulgaria 9.22 births per 1,000 people compare
- 186 North Macedonia 9.21 births per 1,000 people compare
- 187 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 9.13 births per 1,000 people compare
- 189 Anguilla 9.03 births per 1,000 people compare
- 190 Chile 8.96 births per 1,000 people compare
- 191 Montserrat 8.93 births per 1,000 people compare
More population data for Canada
- Population growth rate, by level of development 0.3% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 2.33 million people (2100)
- Population density 6.1 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth 0.3% (2100)
- Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate 1.25 births per woman (2024)
- Refugees by country of asylum 269,496 people (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception 1.25 births per woman (2024)
- Total fertility rate vs. contraceptive prevalence 1.25 births per woman (2024)
- Natural population growth rate 0.1% (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.35 live births per woman (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is birth rate in Canada?
- Birth rate in Canada was 9.08 births per 1,000 people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest birth rate recorded in Canada?
- The highest recorded value was 27.48 births per 1,000 people in 1954.
- What is the lowest birth rate recorded in Canada?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.08 births per 1,000 people in 2023.
- How does Canada rank for birth rate?
- Canada ranks 188th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is birth rate rising or falling in Canada?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Canada data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Birth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The number of live births in a year per 1,000 people in the population.