Fertility rate vs mean years of schooling in Australia
Australia: Fertility rate vs mean years of schooling was 1.64 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
1.64
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
145th
of 236 countries
All-time high
3.54
in 1961
All-time low
1.59
in 2020
Years of data
75
1950–2024
Fertility rate vs mean years of schooling in Australia, 1950–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2024, fertility rate vs mean years of schooling in Australia stood at 1.64.
That represents a change of down 9.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate vs mean years of schooling in Australia peaked at 3.54 in 1961 and was at its lowest, 1.59, 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 mean years of schooling in Australia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 3.06 | — |
| 1951 | 3.06 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 3.18 | +3.8% |
| 1953 | 3.19 | +0.4% |
| 1954 | 3.19 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 3.27 | +2.5% |
| 1956 | 3.33 | +1.8% |
| 1957 | 3.42 | +2.7% |
| 1958 | 3.42 | +0.1% |
| 1959 | 3.44 | +0.5% |
| 1960 | 3.45 | +0.3% |
| 1961 | 3.54 | +2.6% |
| 1962 | 3.42 | -3.3% |
| 1963 | 3.33 | -2.7% |
| 1964 | 3.15 | -5.6% |
| 1965 | 2.98 | -5.3% |
| 1966 | 2.88 | -3.2% |
| 1967 | 2.85 | -1.1% |
| 1968 | 2.89 | +1.3% |
| 1969 | 2.89 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 2.86 | -1.0% |
| 1971 | 2.95 | +3.1% |
| 1972 | 2.74 | -7.0% |
| 1973 | 2.49 | -9.1% |
| 1974 | 2.38 | -4.7% |
| 1975 | 2.21 | -7.1% |
| 1976 | 2.06 | -6.5% |
| 1977 | 2.02 | -2.1% |
| 1978 | 1.96 | -2.9% |
| 1979 | 1.91 | -2.4% |
| 1980 | 1.9 | -0.6% |
| 1981 | 1.94 | +2.1% |
| 1982 | 1.94 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 1.93 | -0.5% |
| 1984 | 1.87 | -3.1% |
| 1985 | 1.9 | +1.4% |
| 1986 | 1.87 | -1.4% |
| 1987 | 1.85 | -1.1% |
| 1988 | 1.84 | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 1.84 | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 1.91 | +3.5% |
| 1991 | 1.86 | -2.4% |
| 1992 | 1.89 | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 1.86 | -1.5% |
| 1994 | 1.85 | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 1.82 | -1.5% |
| 1996 | 1.8 | -1.2% |
| 1997 | 1.78 | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 1.76 | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 1.76 | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 1.76 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 1.74 | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 1.76 | +1.6% |
| 2003 | 1.76 | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 1.78 | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 1.85 | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 1.88 | +1.8% |
| 2007 | 1.99 | +5.8% |
| 2008 | 2.02 | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 1.97 | -2.4% |
| 2010 | 1.95 | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 1.92 | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 1.93 | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 1.88 | -2.5% |
| 2014 | 1.8 | -4.1% |
| 2015 | 1.8 | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 1.79 | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 1.75 | -2.6% |
| 2018 | 1.74 | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 1.67 | -4.4% |
| 2020 | 1.59 | -4.4% |
| 2021 | 1.65 | +3.4% |
| 2022 | 1.64 | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 1.64 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 1.64 | +0.0% |
Australia compared with similar countries
- Australia's 1.64 is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.51, 1.1× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Australia's 1.64 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.12, 77% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.26 | 3.06 | 3.44 | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.14 | 2.85 | 3.54 | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.36 | 1.91 | 2.95 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.89 | 1.84 | 1.94 | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.83 | 1.76 | 1.91 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.85 | 1.74 | 2.02 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.82 | 1.67 | 1.95 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.63 | 1.59 | 1.65 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Australia
- 142 Azerbaijan 1.67 compare
- 143 New Zealand 1.66 compare
- 144 Saint Helena 1.64 compare
- 146 France 1.64 compare
- 147 Colombia 1.63 compare
- 148 United States 1.62 compare
More education data for Australia
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.9 (2023)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.88 (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate vs mean years of schooling in Australia?
- Fertility rate vs mean years of schooling in Australia was 1.64 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility rate vs mean years of schooling recorded in Australia?
- The highest recorded value was 3.54 in 1961.
- What is the lowest fertility rate vs mean years of schooling recorded in Australia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.59 in 2020.
- How does Australia rank for fertility rate vs mean years of schooling?
- Australia ranks 145th out of 236 countries with data for 2024.
- Is fertility rate vs mean 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility rate vs mean years of schooling. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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