Fertility rate: births per woman in China
China: Fertility rate: births per woman was 0.999 live births per woman in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Fertility rate: births per woman in China, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in live births per woman.
Analysis
The most recent figure for fertility rate: births per woman in China is 0.999 live births per woman, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is down 3.4% on the previous year and down 41.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate: births per woman in China peaked at 7.51 live births per woman in 1963 and was at its lowest, 0.999 live births per woman, in 2023.
That places China 228th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 5.93 live births per woman | 4.72 live births per woman | 6.47 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 6 live births per woman | 3.86 live births per woman | 7.51 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.07 live births per woman | 2.72 live births per woman | 6.08 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.68 live births per woman | 2.52 live births per woman | 2.97 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.73 live births per woman | 1.52 live births per woman | 2.51 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.63 live births per woman | 1.56 live births per woman | 1.71 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.69 live births per woman | 1.5 live births per woman | 1.8 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.1 live births per woman | 0.999 live births per woman | 1.24 live births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
- 225 Curacao 1.07 live births per woman compare
- 226 British Virgin Islands 1.04 live births per woman compare
- 227 Vatican 1 live births per woman compare
- 229 Ukraine 0.977 live births per woman compare
- 230 Singapore 0.943 live births per woman compare
- 231 Puerto Rico 0.941 live births per woman compare
More population data for China
- Population growth rate, by level of development -1.7% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 15.54 million people (2100)
- Population density 67.46 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -1.7% (2100)
- Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate 1.01 births per woman (2024)
- Refugees by country of asylum 303,405 people (2020)
- Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception 1.01 births per woman (2024)
- Total fertility rate vs. contraceptive prevalence 1.01 births per woman (2024)
- Natural population growth rate -0.2% (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. GDP per capita 0.999 live births per woman (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate: births per woman in China?
- Fertility rate: births per woman in China was 0.999 live births per woman in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 7.51 live births per woman in 1963.
- What is the lowest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.999 live births per woman in 2023.
- How does China rank for fertility rate: births per woman?
- China ranks 228th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility rate: births per woman rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 41.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility rate: births per woman. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The total fertility rate: the average number of children a woman would have if she experienced the year's age-specific birth rates throughout her childbearing years.