Fertility rate: births per woman in France
France: Fertility rate: births per woman was 1.64 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.64 live births per woman
Change on year
down 6.9%
World rank
145th
of 236 countries
All-time high
3.04 live births per woman
in 1947
All-time low
1.64 live births per woman
in 2023
Years of data
78
1946–2023
Fertility rate: births per woman in France, 1946–2023
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
In 2023, fertility rate: births per woman in France stood at 1.64 live births per woman. That is the lowest value across all 78 years on record.
That represents a change of down 6.9% on the previous year and down 16.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate: births per woman in France peaked at 3.04 live births per woman in 1947 and was at its lowest, 1.64 live births per woman, in 2023.
France ranks 145th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 78 years of available data.
Fertility rate: births per woman in France, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1946 | 3 live births per woman | — |
| 1947 | 3.04 live births per woman | +1.4% |
| 1948 | 3.02 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 1949 | 3 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 1950 | 2.96 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 1951 | 2.82 live births per woman | -5.0% |
| 1952 | 2.78 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 1953 | 2.7 live births per woman | -2.8% |
| 1954 | 2.71 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1955 | 2.7 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 1956 | 2.69 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1957 | 2.71 live births per woman | +0.6% |
| 1958 | 2.69 live births per woman | -0.8% |
| 1959 | 2.75 live births per woman | +2.1% |
| 1960 | 2.73 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1961 | 2.83 live births per woman | +3.4% |
| 1962 | 2.79 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 1963 | 2.87 live births per woman | +3.0% |
| 1964 | 2.88 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1965 | 2.83 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 1966 | 2.78 live births per woman | -1.6% |
| 1967 | 2.65 live births per woman | -4.7% |
| 1968 | 2.57 live births per woman | -2.9% |
| 1969 | 2.53 live births per woman | -1.8% |
| 1970 | 2.48 live births per woman | -1.8% |
| 1971 | 2.5 live births per woman | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 2.43 live births per woman | -2.9% |
| 1973 | 2.32 live births per woman | -4.4% |
| 1974 | 2.12 live births per woman | -8.4% |
| 1975 | 1.94 live births per woman | -8.9% |
| 1976 | 1.83 live births per woman | -5.3% |
| 1977 | 1.87 live births per woman | +2.0% |
| 1978 | 1.83 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 1979 | 1.86 live births per woman | +1.8% |
| 1980 | 1.95 live births per woman | +4.7% |
| 1981 | 1.95 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1982 | 1.92 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 1983 | 1.79 live births per woman | -6.6% |
| 1984 | 1.81 live births per woman | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 1.82 live births per woman | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 1.83 live births per woman | +0.9% |
| 1987 | 1.8 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 1988 | 1.81 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 1.79 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 1990 | 1.78 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 1.77 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 1.74 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 1993 | 1.66 live births per woman | -4.3% |
| 1994 | 1.67 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 1.72 live births per woman | +3.2% |
| 1996 | 1.74 live births per woman | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 1.73 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 1.76 live births per woman | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 1.79 live births per woman | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 1.88 live births per woman | +4.6% |
| 2001 | 1.88 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 1.86 live births per woman | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 1.87 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 1.9 live births per woman | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 1.92 live births per woman | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 1.97 live births per woman | +3.0% |
| 2007 | 1.95 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 1.99 live births per woman | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 1.99 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 2.02 live births per woman | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 2 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 1.99 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 1.97 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 1.97 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 1.93 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 2016 | 1.89 live births per woman | -1.8% |
| 2017 | 1.86 live births per woman | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 1.84 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 1.83 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 1.78 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 2021 | 1.8 live births per woman | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 1.76 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 2023 | 1.64 live births per woman | -6.9% |
France compared with similar countries
- France's 1.64 live births per woman is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.5 live births per woman, 1.1× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- France's 1.64 live births per woman is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.49 live births per woman, 1.1× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 3.01 live births per woman | 3 live births per woman | 3.04 live births per woman | 4 |
| 1950s | 2.75 live births per woman | 2.69 live births per woman | 2.96 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.75 live births per woman | 2.53 live births per woman | 2.88 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.12 live births per woman | 1.83 live births per woman | 2.5 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.85 live births per woman | 1.79 live births per woman | 1.95 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.74 live births per woman | 1.66 live births per woman | 1.79 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.92 live births per woman | 1.86 live births per woman | 1.99 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.93 live births per woman | 1.83 live births per woman | 2.02 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.75 live births per woman | 1.64 live births per woman | 1.8 live births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near France
- 142 Azerbaijan 1.67 live births per woman compare
- 143 New Zealand 1.67 live births per woman compare
- 144 Colombia 1.65 live births per woman compare
- 146 Australia 1.64 live births per woman compare
- 147 Saint Helena 1.64 live births per woman compare
- 148 Turkey 1.62 live births per woman compare
More reference data data for France
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 5.48 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 22.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.81 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 22.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 18.36 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 11.75 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 14.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 106.68 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 15.3 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate: births per woman in France?
- Fertility rate: births per woman in France was 1.64 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 France?
- The highest recorded value was 3.04 live births per woman in 1947.
- What is the lowest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.64 live births per woman in 2023.
- How does France rank for fertility rate: births per woman?
- France ranks 145th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility rate: births per woman rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this France 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 — 78 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.