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US fertility rate, 1960 to 2024

The US fertility rate fell from 3.65 births per woman in 1960 to 1.63 in 2024, just above France (1.61) and the UK (1.55), and well above Japan (1.15).

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What the data shows

  • United States: 3.65 in 1960, 1.63 in 2024 (55% lower). Its low point was 1.62 in 2023.
  • United Kingdom: 2.69 in 1960, 1.55 in 2024 (42% lower). It peaked at 2.93 in 1964.
  • France: 2.85 in 1960, 1.61 in 2024 (44% lower). It peaked at 2.89 in 1962.
  • Japan: 2.00 in 1960, 1.15 in 2024 (43% lower). It peaked at 2.23 in 1967.

About this chart

The US total fertility rate was 3.65 births per woman in 1960 and 2.48 in 1970. It dipped to 1.84 in 1980, recovered to 2.08 in 1990 and held near 2.06 in 2000, then declined to 1.93 in 2010, 1.64 in 2020 and 1.63 in 2024. The US was ahead of the United Kingdom, France and Japan in 1960, 1990, 2000, 2020 and 2024, but not in 1970, 1980 or 2010, when France was higher.

The measure is the average number of children a woman would have in her lifetime at current age-specific birth rates, from the World Bank. A rate of about 2.1 is usually needed for a population to replace itself without migration, and the US has not reached that in any charted year since 1970, with 2.08 in 1990 the closest. France was at 2.03 in 2010 against the US at 1.93, but its rate fell to 1.61 by 2024, a steeper drop than the US.

The data

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (SP.DYN.TFRT.IN), births per woman. Retrieved November 4, 2026.

US fertility rate, Births per woman, 1960–2024
Date🇺🇸 United States🇬🇧 United Kingdom🇫🇷 France🇯🇵 Japan
19603.652.692.852.00
19613.622.782.871.96
19623.462.862.891.98
19633.322.882.892.00
19643.192.932.872.05
19652.912.862.842.14
19662.722.782.801.58
19672.562.682.752.23
19682.462.602.692.13
19692.462.512.622.13
19702.482.442.552.13
19712.272.412.472.16
19722.012.202.382.14
19731.882.042.282.14
19741.831.922.182.05
19751.771.812.091.91
19761.741.742.011.85
19771.791.691.941.80
19781.761.751.891.79
19791.811.861.871.77
19801.841.901.851.75
19811.811.821.851.74
19821.831.781.861.77
19831.801.771.861.80
19841.811.771.861.81
19851.841.791.861.76
19861.841.781.851.72
19871.871.811.831.69
19881.931.821.811.66
19892.011.791.791.57
19902.081.831.771.54
19912.061.821.751.53
19922.051.791.741.50
19932.021.761.731.46
19942.001.741.731.50
19951.981.711.741.42
19961.981.731.751.43
19971.971.721.771.39
19982.001.711.781.38
19992.011.681.811.34
20002.061.641.891.36
20012.031.631.901.33
20022.021.631.881.32
20032.051.701.891.29
20042.051.751.921.29
20052.061.761.941.26
20062.111.822.001.32
20072.121.861.981.34
20082.071.912.011.37
20092.001.892.001.37
20101.931.922.031.39
20111.891.912.011.39
20121.881.922.011.41
20131.861.831.991.43
20141.861.812.001.42
20151.841.801.961.45
20161.821.791.921.44
20171.771.741.891.43
20181.731.681.871.42
20191.711.631.861.36
20201.641.571.821.33
20211.661.581.831.30
20221.661.561.781.26
20231.621.561.661.20
20241.631.551.611.15

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Frequently asked questions

What is the US fertility rate?

The US total fertility rate was 1.63 births per woman in 2024, according to World Bank data. That is down from 1.64 in 2020, 1.93 in 2010 and 3.65 in 1960.

How does the US fertility rate compare with other countries?

The US rate of 1.63 in 2024 is above France at 1.61, the United Kingdom at 1.55 and Japan at 1.15. In 2010 France was higher than the US, at 2.03 against 1.93.

When was the US fertility rate highest?

Among the years charted, it was highest in 1960 at 3.65 births per woman. It then fell sharply to 2.48 in 1970 and 1.84 in 1980, before recovering a little to 2.08 in 1990.

Where does this data come from?

World Bank, World Development Indicators (SP.DYN.TFRT.IN), births per woman. Retrieved November 4, 2026. You can download the full table as a CSV from this page.

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