Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in France
France: 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
down 0.2%
World rank
146th
of 236 countries
All-time high
3.04 live births per woman
in 1947
All-time low
1.64 live births per woman
in 2024
Years of data
79
1946–2024
Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in France, 1946–2024
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 France stood at 1.64 live births per woman. That is the lowest value across all 79 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 17.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in France peaked at 3.04 live births per woman in 1947 and was at its lowest, 1.64 live births per woman, in 2024.
That places France 146th 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 79 years of available data.
Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in France, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1946 | 3 live births per woman | — |
| 1947 | 3.04 live births per woman | +1.4% |
| 1948 | 3.02 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 1949 | 3 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 1950 | 2.96 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 1951 | 2.82 live births per woman | -5.0% |
| 1952 | 2.78 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 1953 | 2.7 live births per woman | -2.8% |
| 1954 | 2.71 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1955 | 2.7 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 1956 | 2.69 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1957 | 2.71 live births per woman | +0.6% |
| 1958 | 2.69 live births per woman | -0.8% |
| 1959 | 2.75 live births per woman | +2.1% |
| 1960 | 2.73 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1961 | 2.83 live births per woman | +3.4% |
| 1962 | 2.79 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 1963 | 2.87 live births per woman | +3.0% |
| 1964 | 2.88 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1965 | 2.83 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 1966 | 2.78 live births per woman | -1.6% |
| 1967 | 2.65 live births per woman | -4.7% |
| 1968 | 2.57 live births per woman | -2.9% |
| 1969 | 2.53 live births per woman | -1.8% |
| 1970 | 2.48 live births per woman | -1.8% |
| 1971 | 2.5 live births per woman | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 2.43 live births per woman | -2.9% |
| 1973 | 2.32 live births per woman | -4.4% |
| 1974 | 2.12 live births per woman | -8.4% |
| 1975 | 1.94 live births per woman | -8.9% |
| 1976 | 1.83 live births per woman | -5.3% |
| 1977 | 1.87 live births per woman | +2.0% |
| 1978 | 1.83 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 1979 | 1.86 live births per woman | +1.8% |
| 1980 | 1.95 live births per woman | +4.7% |
| 1981 | 1.95 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1982 | 1.92 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 1983 | 1.79 live births per woman | -6.6% |
| 1984 | 1.81 live births per woman | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 1.82 live births per woman | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 1.83 live births per woman | +0.9% |
| 1987 | 1.8 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 1988 | 1.81 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 1.79 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 1990 | 1.78 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 1.77 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 1.74 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 1993 | 1.66 live births per woman | -4.3% |
| 1994 | 1.67 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 1.72 live births per woman | +3.2% |
| 1996 | 1.74 live births per woman | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 1.73 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 1.76 live births per woman | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 1.79 live births per woman | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 1.88 live births per woman | +4.6% |
| 2001 | 1.88 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 1.86 live births per woman | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 1.87 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 2004 | 1.9 live births per woman | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 1.92 live births per woman | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 1.97 live births per woman | +3.0% |
| 2007 | 1.95 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 1.99 live births per woman | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 1.99 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 2.02 live births per woman | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 2 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 1.99 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 1.97 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 1.97 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 1.93 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 2016 | 1.89 live births per woman | -1.8% |
| 2017 | 1.86 live births per woman | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 1.84 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 1.83 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 1.78 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 2021 | 1.8 live births per woman | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 1.76 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 2023 | 1.64 live births per woman | -6.9% |
| 2024 | 1.64 live births per woman | -0.2% |
France compared with similar countries
- France'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)
- France's 1.64 live births per woman is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.5 live births per woman, 1.1× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 3.01 live births per woman | 3 live births per woman | 3.04 live births per woman | 4 |
| 1950s | 2.75 live births per woman | 2.69 live births per woman | 2.96 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.75 live births per woman | 2.53 live births per woman | 2.88 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.12 live births per woman | 1.83 live births per woman | 2.5 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.85 live births per woman | 1.79 live births per woman | 1.95 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.74 live births per woman | 1.66 live births per woman | 1.79 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.92 live births per woman | 1.86 live births per woman | 1.99 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.93 live births per woman | 1.83 live births per woman | 2.02 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.72 live births per woman | 1.64 live births per woman | 1.8 live births per woman | 5 |
Countries ranked near France
- 143 New Zealand 1.66 live births per woman compare
- 144 Saint Helena 1.64 live births per woman compare
- 145 Australia 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
- 149 Turkey 1.62 live births per woman compare
More education data for France
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 457,956 (2019)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 43,533 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.19 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.14 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.27 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.13 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.27 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0602 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in France?
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in France 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 France?
- The highest recorded value was 3.04 live births per woman in 1947.
- What is the lowest fertility rate vs. average years of schooling recorded in France?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.64 live births per woman in 2024.
- How does France rank for fertility rate vs. average years of schooling?
- France ranks 146th out of 236 countries with data for 2024.
- Is fertility rate vs. average years of schooling rising or falling in France?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this France 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
CSV · JSON — 79 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.