Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Belgium
Belgium: Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling was 1.38 live births per woman in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
1.38 live births per woman
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
196th
of 236 countries
All-time high
2.7 live births per woman
in 1964
All-time low
1.38 live births per woman
in 2023
Years of data
78
1947–2024
Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Belgium, 1947–2024
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 Belgium stood at 1.38 live births per woman.
The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and down 20.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Belgium peaked at 2.7 live births per woman in 1964 and was at its lowest, 1.38 live births per woman, in 2023.
Belgium ranks 196th of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 78 years of available data.
Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Belgium, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1947 | 2.49 live births per woman | — |
| 1948 | 2.48 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 1949 | 2.42 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 1950 | 2.35 live births per woman | -3.2% |
| 1951 | 2.29 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 1952 | 2.33 live births per woman | +1.9% |
| 1953 | 2.33 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1954 | 2.36 live births per woman | +1.5% |
| 1955 | 2.38 live births per woman | +0.9% |
| 1956 | 2.41 live births per woman | +1.1% |
| 1957 | 2.45 live births per woman | +1.8% |
| 1958 | 2.5 live births per woman | +1.9% |
| 1959 | 2.56 live births per woman | +2.4% |
| 1960 | 2.53 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1961 | 2.62 live births per woman | +3.5% |
| 1962 | 2.6 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1963 | 2.68 live births per woman | +3.1% |
| 1964 | 2.7 live births per woman | +1.0% |
| 1965 | 2.61 live births per woman | -3.3% |
| 1966 | 2.52 live births per woman | -3.6% |
| 1967 | 2.41 live births per woman | -4.4% |
| 1968 | 2.31 live births per woman | -4.1% |
| 1969 | 2.28 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 1970 | 2.25 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 1971 | 2.21 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 1972 | 2.09 live births per woman | -5.3% |
| 1973 | 1.95 live births per woman | -6.6% |
| 1974 | 1.84 live births per woman | -5.9% |
| 1975 | 1.75 live births per woman | -4.8% |
| 1976 | 1.74 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 1977 | 1.73 live births per woman | -0.7% |
| 1978 | 1.71 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 1979 | 1.71 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1980 | 1.69 live births per woman | -0.8% |
| 1981 | 1.67 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 1982 | 1.61 live births per woman | -3.4% |
| 1983 | 1.56 live births per woman | -3.1% |
| 1984 | 1.53 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 1985 | 1.5 live births per woman | -1.8% |
| 1986 | 1.54 live births per woman | +2.2% |
| 1987 | 1.54 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 1.57 live births per woman | +2.0% |
| 1989 | 1.58 live births per woman | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 1.62 live births per woman | +2.5% |
| 1991 | 1.66 live births per woman | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 1.65 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 1.61 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 1994 | 1.56 live births per woman | -2.7% |
| 1995 | 1.56 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 1.59 live births per woman | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 1.6 live births per woman | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 1.59 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 1.61 live births per woman | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 1.66 live births per woman | +3.0% |
| 2001 | 1.67 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 1.65 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 1.67 live births per woman | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 1.72 live births per woman | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 1.75 live births per woman | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 1.79 live births per woman | +2.3% |
| 2007 | 1.81 live births per woman | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 1.85 live births per woman | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 1.83 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 1.85 live births per woman | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 1.8 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 1.78 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 1.75 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 2014 | 1.73 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 1.69 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 2016 | 1.68 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 1.64 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 2018 | 1.62 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 1.61 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 1.57 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 2021 | 1.6 live births per woman | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 1.55 live births per woman | -3.3% |
| 2023 | 1.38 live births per woman | -10.9% |
| 2024 | 1.38 live births per woman | +0.3% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 1.38 live births per woman is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.51 live births per woman, 91% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 1.38 live births per woman is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.5 live births per woman, 92% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 2.46 live births per woman | 2.42 live births per woman | 2.49 live births per woman | 3 |
| 1950s | 2.4 live births per woman | 2.29 live births per woman | 2.56 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.53 live births per woman | 2.28 live births per woman | 2.7 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.9 live births per woman | 1.71 live births per woman | 2.25 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.58 live births per woman | 1.5 live births per woman | 1.69 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.61 live births per woman | 1.56 live births per woman | 1.66 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.74 live births per woman | 1.65 live births per woman | 1.85 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.71 live births per woman | 1.61 live births per woman | 1.85 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.5 live births per woman | 1.38 live births per woman | 1.6 live births per woman | 5 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More education data for Belgium
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 137,795 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 17,384 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 221,494 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 210,503 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.18 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 814,388 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.1356 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0691 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Belgium?
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Belgium was 1.38 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 Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 2.7 live births per woman in 1964.
- What is the lowest fertility rate vs. average years of schooling recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.38 live births per woman in 2023.
- How does Belgium rank for fertility rate vs. average years of schooling?
- Belgium ranks 196th out of 236 countries with data for 2024.
- Is fertility rate vs. average years of schooling rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium 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.
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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.