Fertility rate: births per woman in Belgium
Belgium: Fertility rate: births per woman was 1.38 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.38 live births per woman
Change on year
down 10.9%
World rank
196th
of 236 countries
All-time high
2.7 live births per woman
in 1964
All-time low
1.38 live births per woman
in 2023
Years of data
77
1947–2023
Fertility rate: births per woman in Belgium, 1947–2023
Source: Human Fertility Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in live births per woman.
Analysis
The most recent figure for fertility rate: births per woman in Belgium is 1.38 live births per woman, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 77 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 10.9% on the previous year and down 21.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate: births per woman in Belgium peaked at 2.7 live births per woman in 1964 and was at its lowest, 1.38 live births per woman, in 2023.
That places Belgium 196th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 77 years of available data.
Fertility rate: births per woman in Belgium, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1947 | 2.49 live births per woman | — |
| 1948 | 2.48 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 1949 | 2.42 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 1950 | 2.35 live births per woman | -3.2% |
| 1951 | 2.29 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 1952 | 2.33 live births per woman | +1.9% |
| 1953 | 2.33 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1954 | 2.36 live births per woman | +1.5% |
| 1955 | 2.38 live births per woman | +0.9% |
| 1956 | 2.41 live births per woman | +1.1% |
| 1957 | 2.45 live births per woman | +1.8% |
| 1958 | 2.5 live births per woman | +1.9% |
| 1959 | 2.56 live births per woman | +2.4% |
| 1960 | 2.53 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1961 | 2.62 live births per woman | +3.5% |
| 1962 | 2.6 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1963 | 2.68 live births per woman | +3.1% |
| 1964 | 2.7 live births per woman | +1.0% |
| 1965 | 2.61 live births per woman | -3.3% |
| 1966 | 2.52 live births per woman | -3.6% |
| 1967 | 2.41 live births per woman | -4.4% |
| 1968 | 2.31 live births per woman | -4.1% |
| 1969 | 2.28 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 1970 | 2.25 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 1971 | 2.21 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 1972 | 2.09 live births per woman | -5.3% |
| 1973 | 1.95 live births per woman | -6.6% |
| 1974 | 1.84 live births per woman | -5.9% |
| 1975 | 1.75 live births per woman | -4.8% |
| 1976 | 1.74 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 1977 | 1.73 live births per woman | -0.7% |
| 1978 | 1.71 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 1979 | 1.71 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1980 | 1.69 live births per woman | -0.8% |
| 1981 | 1.67 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 1982 | 1.61 live births per woman | -3.4% |
| 1983 | 1.56 live births per woman | -3.1% |
| 1984 | 1.53 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 1985 | 1.5 live births per woman | -1.8% |
| 1986 | 1.54 live births per woman | +2.2% |
| 1987 | 1.54 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 1.57 live births per woman | +2.0% |
| 1989 | 1.58 live births per woman | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 1.62 live births per woman | +2.5% |
| 1991 | 1.66 live births per woman | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 1.65 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 1.61 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 1994 | 1.56 live births per woman | -2.7% |
| 1995 | 1.56 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 1.59 live births per woman | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 1.6 live births per woman | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 1.59 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 1.61 live births per woman | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 1.66 live births per woman | +3.0% |
| 2001 | 1.67 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 1.65 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 1.67 live births per woman | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 1.72 live births per woman | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 1.75 live births per woman | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 1.79 live births per woman | +2.3% |
| 2007 | 1.81 live births per woman | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 1.85 live births per woman | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 1.83 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 1.85 live births per woman | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 1.8 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 1.78 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 1.75 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 2014 | 1.73 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 1.69 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 2016 | 1.68 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 1.64 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 2018 | 1.62 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 1.61 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 1.57 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 2021 | 1.6 live births per woman | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 1.55 live births per woman | -3.3% |
| 2023 | 1.38 live births per woman | -10.9% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 1.38 live births per woman is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.5 live births per woman, 92% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 1.38 live births per woman is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.49 live births per woman, 92% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 2.46 live births per woman | 2.42 live births per woman | 2.49 live births per woman | 3 |
| 1950s | 2.4 live births per woman | 2.29 live births per woman | 2.56 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.53 live births per woman | 2.28 live births per woman | 2.7 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.9 live births per woman | 1.71 live births per woman | 2.25 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.58 live births per woman | 1.5 live births per woman | 1.69 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.61 live births per woman | 1.56 live births per woman | 1.66 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.74 live births per woman | 1.65 live births per woman | 1.85 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.71 live births per woman | 1.61 live births per woman | 1.85 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.52 live births per woman | 1.38 live births per woman | 1.6 live births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More reference data data for Belgium
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9298 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.291 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1382 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.12 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.61 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7526 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate: births per woman in Belgium?
- Fertility rate: births per woman in Belgium was 1.38 live births per woman in 2023, according to Human Fertility Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 2.7 live births per woman in 1964.
- What is the lowest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.38 live births per woman in 2023.
- How does Belgium rank for fertility rate: births per woman?
- Belgium ranks 196th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility rate: births per woman rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from Human Fertility Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility rate: births per woman. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 77 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average number of live births a hypothetical cohort of women would have at the end of their reproductive period if they were subject during their whole lives to the fertility rates of a given period and if they were not subject to mortality.