Lowest fertility rates
Total fertility rate — the average number of children a woman would bear in her lifetime. South Korea has fallen below 0.8, the lowest figure ever recorded for any country.
Headline finding
South Korea leads the world for lowest fertility rates at 0.72 births per woman.
The full top 25: Lowest fertility rates
Click any country to read its full profile.
- 1 South Korea 0.72
- 2 Hong Kong 0.77
- 3 Puerto Rico 0.90
- 4 Macau 0.93
- 5 Singapore 0.97
- 6 Ukraine 0.98
- 7 China 1.00
- 8 Taiwan 1.09
- 9 Spain 1.16
- 10 Japan 1.20
- 11 Italy 1.20
- 12 Poland 1.16
- 13 Greece 1.30
- 14 Portugal 1.30
- 15 Thailand 1.30
- 16 Canada 1.33
- 17 Chile 1.20
- 18 Serbia 1.50
- 19 Cyprus 1.32
- 20 Hungary 1.50
- 21 Malta 1.13
- 22 Finland 1.32
- 23 Norway 1.40
- 24 Germany 1.46
- 25 Austria 1.41
What the numbers show
South Korea's lead at the top of this ranking is -6.5% above the second-place country — a margin tight enough that the top spot has changed hands within the last five years and could change again.
The five countries leading the table — South Korea, Hong Kong, Puerto Rico, Macau, Singapore — together set the global benchmark. The next 20 countries fill the rest of the table, with Austria anchoring the list at 1.41.
Figures are drawn from World Bank 2024. We use this source because it produces a single, internally consistent dataset rather than aggregating from national statistics offices, which makes year-on-year comparison reliable. The next update is expected when the source publishes its next annual release — see the methodology section below for which year of data is currently shown.
Methodology and caveats
- What this measures
- births per woman
- Source
- World Bank 2024
- Coverage
- Top 25 countries shown. Full source dataset covers all 195 sovereign states where data is available.
- Refresh cadence
- Updated annually as the source publishes new figures, typically autumn or spring.
- Known caveat
- Country definitions follow the source: where the UN, the World Bank and the CIA Factbook disagree on borders or recognition, we use the figure as published rather than reconciling between bodies. Comparisons across rankings should be made with this in mind.
Frequently asked
Which country tops the ranking for fertility rates?
South Korea leads with 0.72 births per woman. Hong Kong is second at 0.77, with Puerto Rico in third place. Full top-10 with sources is above.
What's the source for the fertility rates ranking?
The figures come from World Bank 2024. We use this source because it publishes a complete country-by-country dataset using consistent methodology — the alternative of mixing national statistics offices would compromise comparability. Updated annually with the latest available vintage of the data.
How often are the fertility rates figures updated?
Once a year, in line with the source institution's publishing schedule. Major institutions like the World Bank, IMF and UNESCO publish annual updates in different months — typically autumn or spring — and the figures here reflect the most recently published vintage. The source footer on the ranking table shows which year's data is currently displayed.