Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Australia
Australia: Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling was 1.64 live births per woman in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
1.64 live births per woman
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
145th
of 236 countries
All-time high
3.54 live births per woman
in 1961
All-time low
1.59 live births per woman
in 2020
Years of data
75
1950–2024
Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Australia, 1950–2024
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 2024, fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Australia stood at 1.64 live births per woman.
That represents a change of down 9.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Australia peaked at 3.54 live births per woman in 1961 and was at its lowest, 1.59 live births per woman, in 2020.
That places Australia 145th out of 236 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 75 years of available data.
Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Australia, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 3.06 live births per woman | — |
| 1951 | 3.06 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 3.18 live births per woman | +3.8% |
| 1953 | 3.19 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1954 | 3.19 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 3.27 live births per woman | +2.5% |
| 1956 | 3.33 live births per woman | +1.8% |
| 1957 | 3.42 live births per woman | +2.7% |
| 1958 | 3.42 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1959 | 3.44 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1960 | 3.45 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1961 | 3.54 live births per woman | +2.6% |
| 1962 | 3.42 live births per woman | -3.3% |
| 1963 | 3.33 live births per woman | -2.7% |
| 1964 | 3.15 live births per woman | -5.6% |
| 1965 | 2.98 live births per woman | -5.3% |
| 1966 | 2.88 live births per woman | -3.2% |
| 1967 | 2.85 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 1968 | 2.89 live births per woman | +1.3% |
| 1969 | 2.89 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 2.86 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1971 | 2.95 live births per woman | +3.1% |
| 1972 | 2.74 live births per woman | -7.0% |
| 1973 | 2.49 live births per woman | -9.1% |
| 1974 | 2.38 live births per woman | -4.7% |
| 1975 | 2.21 live births per woman | -7.1% |
| 1976 | 2.06 live births per woman | -6.5% |
| 1977 | 2.02 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 1978 | 1.96 live births per woman | -2.9% |
| 1979 | 1.91 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 1980 | 1.9 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 1981 | 1.94 live births per woman | +2.1% |
| 1982 | 1.94 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 1.93 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 1984 | 1.87 live births per woman | -3.1% |
| 1985 | 1.9 live births per woman | +1.4% |
| 1986 | 1.87 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 1987 | 1.85 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 1988 | 1.84 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 1.84 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 1.91 live births per woman | +3.5% |
| 1991 | 1.86 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 1992 | 1.89 live births per woman | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 1.86 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 1994 | 1.85 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 1.82 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 1996 | 1.8 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 1997 | 1.78 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 1.76 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 1.76 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 1.76 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 1.74 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 1.76 live births per woman | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 1.76 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 1.78 live births per woman | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 1.85 live births per woman | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 1.88 live births per woman | +1.8% |
| 2007 | 1.99 live births per woman | +5.8% |
| 2008 | 2.02 live births per woman | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 1.97 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 2010 | 1.95 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 1.92 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 1.93 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 1.88 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 2014 | 1.8 live births per woman | -4.1% |
| 2015 | 1.8 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 1.79 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 1.75 live births per woman | -2.6% |
| 2018 | 1.74 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 1.67 live births per woman | -4.4% |
| 2020 | 1.59 live births per woman | -4.4% |
| 2021 | 1.65 live births per woman | +3.4% |
| 2022 | 1.64 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 1.64 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 1.64 live births per woman | +0.0% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 1.64 live births per woman is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.51 live births per woman, 1.1× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Australia's 1.64 live births per woman is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.12 live births per woman, 77% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.26 live births per woman | 3.06 live births per woman | 3.44 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.14 live births per woman | 2.85 live births per woman | 3.54 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.36 live births per woman | 1.91 live births per woman | 2.95 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.89 live births per woman | 1.84 live births per woman | 1.94 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.83 live births per woman | 1.76 live births per woman | 1.91 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.85 live births per woman | 1.74 live births per woman | 2.02 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.82 live births per woman | 1.67 live births per woman | 1.95 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.63 live births per woman | 1.59 live births per woman | 1.65 live births per woman | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 142 Azerbaijan 1.67 live births per woman compare
- 143 New Zealand 1.66 live births per woman compare
- 144 Saint Helena 1.64 live births per woman compare
- 146 France 1.64 live births per woman compare
- 147 Colombia 1.63 live births per woman compare
- 148 United States 1.62 live births per woman compare
More education data for Australia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 104,110 (1992)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 316,638 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 292,593 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.65 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.4362 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0835 units per person (2024)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Australia?
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Australia was 1.64 live births per woman in 2024, 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 vs. average years of schooling recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 3.54 live births per woman in 1961.
- What is the lowest fertility rate vs. average years of schooling recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.59 live births per woman in 2020.
- How does Australia rank for fertility rate vs. average years of schooling?
- Australia ranks 145th out of 236 countries with data for 2024.
- Is fertility rate vs. average years of schooling rising or falling in Australia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Australia 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 vs. average years of schooling. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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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.