Fertility rate: births per woman (Human Fertility) in New Zealand
New Zealand: Fertility rate: births per woman (Human Fertility) was 1.67 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.67 live births per woman
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
143rd
of 236 countries
All-time high
4.31 live births per woman
in 1961
All-time low
1.63 live births per woman
in 2020
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Fertility rate: births per woman in New Zealand, 1950–2023
Source: Human Fertility Database (2026); 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 New Zealand stood at 1.67 live births per woman.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and down 16.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate: births per woman in New Zealand peaked at 4.31 live births per woman in 1961 and was at its lowest, 1.63 live births per woman, in 2020.
New Zealand ranks 143rd of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Fertility rate: births per woman (Human Fertility) in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 3.55 live births per woman | — |
| 1951 | 3.6 live births per woman | +1.4% |
| 1952 | 3.67 live births per woman | +1.8% |
| 1953 | 3.65 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1954 | 3.78 live births per woman | +3.4% |
| 1955 | 3.88 live births per woman | +2.7% |
| 1956 | 3.98 live births per woman | +2.6% |
| 1957 | 4.03 live births per woman | +1.3% |
| 1958 | 4.11 live births per woman | +2.0% |
| 1959 | 4.18 live births per woman | +1.7% |
| 1960 | 4.24 live births per woman | +1.5% |
| 1961 | 4.31 live births per woman | +1.5% |
| 1962 | 4.16 live births per woman | -3.4% |
| 1963 | 4.05 live births per woman | -2.7% |
| 1964 | 3.78 live births per woman | -6.7% |
| 1965 | 3.54 live births per woman | -6.3% |
| 1966 | 3.42 live births per woman | -3.3% |
| 1967 | 3.35 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 1968 | 3.33 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1969 | 3.27 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 1970 | 3.17 live births per woman | -3.2% |
| 1971 | 3.18 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1972 | 3 live births per woman | -5.7% |
| 1973 | 2.74 live births per woman | -8.7% |
| 1974 | 2.57 live births per woman | -6.0% |
| 1975 | 2.36 live births per woman | -8.4% |
| 1976 | 2.27 live births per woman | -3.7% |
| 1977 | 2.21 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 1978 | 2.08 live births per woman | -6.1% |
| 1979 | 2.11 live births per woman | +1.7% |
| 1980 | 2.03 live births per woman | -3.8% |
| 1981 | 2.01 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1982 | 1.95 live births per woman | -3.2% |
| 1983 | 1.92 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 1984 | 1.93 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 1.93 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 1.96 live births per woman | +1.6% |
| 1987 | 2.03 live births per woman | +3.5% |
| 1988 | 2.1 live births per woman | +3.4% |
| 1989 | 2.12 live births per woman | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 2.17 live births per woman | +2.2% |
| 1991 | 2.09 live births per woman | -3.5% |
| 1992 | 2.06 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 1993 | 2.04 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 1.98 live births per woman | -2.7% |
| 1995 | 1.98 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 1.96 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 1.96 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 1.9 live births per woman | -3.1% |
| 1999 | 1.97 live births per woman | +3.7% |
| 2000 | 1.98 live births per woman | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 1.96 live births per woman | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 1.89 live births per woman | -3.7% |
| 2003 | 1.93 live births per woman | +2.0% |
| 2004 | 1.98 live births per woman | +2.4% |
| 2005 | 1.96 live births per woman | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 2.01 live births per woman | +2.5% |
| 2007 | 2.17 live births per woman | +7.9% |
| 2008 | 2.19 live births per woman | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 2.13 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 2010 | 2.17 live births per woman | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 2.1 live births per woman | -3.2% |
| 2012 | 2.09 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 2 live births per woman | -4.0% |
| 2014 | 1.93 live births per woman | -3.9% |
| 2015 | 1.98 live births per woman | +3.0% |
| 2016 | 1.88 live births per woman | -5.3% |
| 2017 | 1.81 live births per woman | -3.5% |
| 2018 | 1.72 live births per woman | -5.1% |
| 2019 | 1.72 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 1.63 live births per woman | -5.1% |
| 2021 | 1.65 live births per woman | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 1.67 live births per woman | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 1.67 live births per woman | +0.1% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 1.67 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)
- New Zealand's 1.67 live births per woman is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.13 live births per woman, 78% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.84 live births per woman | 3.55 live births per woman | 4.18 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.74 live births per woman | 3.27 live births per woman | 4.31 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.57 live births per woman | 2.08 live births per woman | 3.18 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 2 live births per woman | 1.92 live births per woman | 2.12 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.01 live births per woman | 1.9 live births per woman | 2.17 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.02 live births per woman | 1.89 live births per woman | 2.19 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.94 live births per woman | 1.72 live births per woman | 2.17 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.65 live births per woman | 1.63 live births per woman | 1.67 live births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More reference data data for New Zealand
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.4532 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 9.92 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0459 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 10.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.52 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 42.17 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 47.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2499 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate: births per woman in New Zealand?
- Fertility rate: births per woman in New Zealand was 1.67 live births per woman in 2023, according to Human Fertility Database (2026); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 4.31 live births per woman in 1961.
- What is the lowest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.63 live births per woman in 2020.
- How does New Zealand rank for fertility rate: births per woman?
- New Zealand ranks 143rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility rate: births per woman rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this New Zealand data come from?
- The figures come from Human Fertility Database (2026); 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 — 74 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.