Fertility rate: births per woman in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Fertility rate: births per woman was 1.56 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.56 live births per woman
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
156th
of 236 countries
All-time high
2.93 live births per woman
in 1964
All-time low
1.56 live births per woman
in 2022
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Fertility rate: births per woman in United Kingdom, 1950–2023
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
United Kingdom recorded 1.56 live births per woman for fertility rate: births per woman in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of down 14.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate: births per woman in United Kingdom peaked at 2.93 live births per woman in 1964 and was at its lowest, 1.56 live births per woman, in 2022.
United Kingdom ranks 156th 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 in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2.22 live births per woman | — |
| 1951 | 2.19 live births per woman | -1.8% |
| 1952 | 2.19 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1953 | 2.23 live births per woman | +1.6% |
| 1954 | 2.25 live births per woman | +0.9% |
| 1955 | 2.28 live births per woman | +1.5% |
| 1956 | 2.38 live births per woman | +4.2% |
| 1957 | 2.47 live births per woman | +4.0% |
| 1958 | 2.55 live births per woman | +3.1% |
| 1959 | 2.6 live births per woman | +2.3% |
| 1960 | 2.7 live births per woman | +3.8% |
| 1961 | 2.79 live births per woman | +3.1% |
| 1962 | 2.87 live births per woman | +2.8% |
| 1963 | 2.91 live births per woman | +1.5% |
| 1964 | 2.93 live births per woman | +0.7% |
| 1965 | 2.87 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 1966 | 2.78 live births per woman | -3.1% |
| 1967 | 2.68 live births per woman | -3.6% |
| 1968 | 2.59 live births per woman | -3.2% |
| 1969 | 2.5 live births per woman | -3.5% |
| 1970 | 2.42 live births per woman | -3.2% |
| 1971 | 2.34 live births per woman | -3.2% |
| 1972 | 2.18 live births per woman | -6.9% |
| 1973 | 2.04 live births per woman | -6.7% |
| 1974 | 1.92 live births per woman | -5.9% |
| 1975 | 1.81 live births per woman | -5.6% |
| 1976 | 1.74 live births per woman | -3.8% |
| 1977 | 1.69 live births per woman | -2.8% |
| 1978 | 1.75 live births per woman | +3.8% |
| 1979 | 1.86 live births per woman | +5.9% |
| 1980 | 1.89 live births per woman | +1.7% |
| 1981 | 1.82 live births per woman | -3.8% |
| 1982 | 1.78 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 1983 | 1.77 live births per woman | -0.7% |
| 1984 | 1.77 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 1.79 live births per woman | +1.2% |
| 1986 | 1.78 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 1.81 live births per woman | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 1.82 live births per woman | +0.7% |
| 1989 | 1.79 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 1990 | 1.83 live births per woman | +2.0% |
| 1991 | 1.82 live births per woman | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 1.79 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 1993 | 1.76 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 1994 | 1.74 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 1995 | 1.71 live births per woman | -1.6% |
| 1996 | 1.72 live births per woman | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 1.72 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 1.71 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 1.68 live births per woman | -1.7% |
| 2000 | 1.64 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 2001 | 1.62 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 1.63 live births per woman | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 1.7 live births per woman | +4.0% |
| 2004 | 1.75 live births per woman | +2.9% |
| 2005 | 1.76 live births per woman | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 1.81 live births per woman | +2.9% |
| 2007 | 1.86 live births per woman | +2.8% |
| 2008 | 1.91 live births per woman | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 1.89 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 1.92 live births per woman | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 1.91 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 1.91 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 1.83 live births per woman | -4.1% |
| 2014 | 1.81 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 1.8 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 1.78 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 1.74 live births per woman | -2.8% |
| 2018 | 1.68 live births per woman | -3.4% |
| 2019 | 1.63 live births per woman | -2.6% |
| 2020 | 1.57 live births per woman | -3.7% |
| 2021 | 1.58 live births per woman | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 1.56 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 2023 | 1.56 live births per woman | +0.0% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 1.56 live births per woman is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.5 live births per woman, 1.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 1.56 live births per woman is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.49 live births per woman, 1.0× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.33 live births per woman | 2.19 live births per woman | 2.6 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.76 live births per woman | 2.5 live births per woman | 2.93 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.97 live births per woman | 1.69 live births per woman | 2.42 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.8 live births per woman | 1.77 live births per woman | 1.89 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.75 live births per woman | 1.68 live births per woman | 1.83 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.76 live births per woman | 1.62 live births per woman | 1.91 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.8 live births per woman | 1.63 live births per woman | 1.92 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.57 live births per woman | 1.56 live births per woman | 1.58 live births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 153 Antigua and Barbuda 1.58 live births per woman compare
- 154 Slovenia 1.58 live births per woman compare
- 155 Maldives 1.57 live births per woman compare
- 156 Slovakia 1.56 live births per woman compare
- 158 Malaysia 1.55 live births per woman compare
- 159 Isle of Man 1.55 live births per woman compare
More reference data data for United Kingdom
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.13 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.97 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 10.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 15.81 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 59.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 5.48 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate: births per woman in United Kingdom?
- Fertility rate: births per woman in United Kingdom was 1.56 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 2.93 live births per woman in 1964.
- What is the lowest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.56 live births per woman in 2022.
- How does United Kingdom rank for fertility rate: births per woman?
- United Kingdom ranks 156th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility rate: births per woman rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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 — 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.