Fertility rate: births per woman in United States
United States: Fertility rate: births per woman was 1.62 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
Fertility rate: births per woman in United States, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in live births per woman.
Analysis
United States recorded 1.62 live births per woman for fertility rate: births per woman in 2023.
That represents a change of down 2.5% on the previous year and down 11.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate: births per woman in United States peaked at 3.75 live births per woman in 1958 and was at its lowest, 1.62 live births per woman, in 2020.
That places United States 149th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.47 live births per woman | 3.09 live births per woman | 3.75 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.1 live births per woman | 2.5 live births per woman | 3.73 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.98 live births per woman | 1.78 live births per woman | 2.52 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.88 live births per woman | 1.83 live births per woman | 2.01 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 2 live births per woman | 1.96 live births per woman | 2.07 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.04 live births per woman | 1.99 live births per woman | 2.1 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.81 live births per woman | 1.68 live births per woman | 1.92 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.63 live births per woman | 1.62 live births per woman | 1.67 live births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near United States
More reference data data for United States
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 589.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Burning - Crop residues 3.28 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 112.69 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 52.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 133.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 19.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 119.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 20.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 119.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 24.55 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate: births per woman in United States?
- Fertility rate: births per woman in United States was 1.62 live births per woman in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 3.75 live births per woman in 1958.
- What is the lowest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.62 live births per woman in 2020.
- How does United States rank for fertility rate: births per woman?
- United States ranks 149th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility rate: births per woman rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed 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
The total fertility rate: the average number of children a woman would have if she experienced the year's age-specific birth rates throughout her childbearing years.