Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Italy
Italy: Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling was 1.21 live births per woman in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
1.21 live births per woman
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
219th
of 236 countries
All-time high
2.66 live births per woman
in 1964
All-time low
1.19 live births per woman
in 1995
Years of data
75
1950–2024
Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Italy, 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
The most recent figure for fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Italy is 1.21 live births per woman, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and down 11.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Italy peaked at 2.66 live births per woman in 1964 and was at its lowest, 1.19 live births per woman, in 1995.
That places Italy 219th out of 236 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 75 years of available data.
Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Italy, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2.52 live births per woman | — |
| 1951 | 2.38 live births per woman | -5.8% |
| 1952 | 2.32 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 1953 | 2.29 live births per woman | -1.6% |
| 1954 | 2.35 live births per woman | +2.8% |
| 1955 | 2.34 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1956 | 2.35 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1957 | 2.35 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 1958 | 2.33 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 1959 | 2.39 live births per woman | +2.6% |
| 1960 | 2.38 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 1961 | 2.42 live births per woman | +1.5% |
| 1962 | 2.45 live births per woman | +1.3% |
| 1963 | 2.52 live births per woman | +2.8% |
| 1964 | 2.66 live births per woman | +5.6% |
| 1965 | 2.62 live births per woman | -1.7% |
| 1966 | 2.59 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 1967 | 2.51 live births per woman | -3.1% |
| 1968 | 2.49 live births per woman | -0.8% |
| 1969 | 2.47 live births per woman | -0.8% |
| 1970 | 2.4 live births per woman | -3.0% |
| 1971 | 2.4 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1972 | 2.35 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 1973 | 2.31 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 1974 | 2.29 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1975 | 2.18 live births per woman | -5.0% |
| 1976 | 2.06 live births per woman | -5.6% |
| 1977 | 1.94 live births per woman | -5.7% |
| 1978 | 1.84 live births per woman | -5.1% |
| 1979 | 1.73 live births per woman | -5.9% |
| 1980 | 1.65 live births per woman | -5.0% |
| 1981 | 1.58 live births per woman | -3.9% |
| 1982 | 1.56 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 1983 | 1.51 live births per woman | -3.5% |
| 1984 | 1.46 live births per woman | -3.2% |
| 1985 | 1.42 live births per woman | -2.9% |
| 1986 | 1.35 live births per woman | -4.6% |
| 1987 | 1.33 live births per woman | -1.6% |
| 1988 | 1.35 live births per woman | +1.9% |
| 1989 | 1.33 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 1990 | 1.33 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 1.3 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 1992 | 1.3 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 1.25 live births per woman | -3.6% |
| 1994 | 1.21 live births per woman | -3.3% |
| 1995 | 1.19 live births per woman | -1.7% |
| 1996 | 1.2 live births per woman | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 1.21 live births per woman | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 1.21 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 1.23 live births per woman | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 1.25 live births per woman | +1.7% |
| 2001 | 1.25 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 1.26 live births per woman | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 1.28 live births per woman | +1.7% |
| 2004 | 1.34 live births per woman | +4.0% |
| 2005 | 1.33 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 1.36 live births per woman | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 1.39 live births per woman | +2.1% |
| 2008 | 1.44 live births per woman | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 1.44 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 1.44 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 1.43 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 1.42 live births per woman | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 1.38 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 2014 | 1.36 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 1.34 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 1.34 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 2017 | 1.32 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 1.29 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 2019 | 1.26 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 2020 | 1.24 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 2021 | 1.25 live births per woman | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 1.24 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 2023 | 1.2 live births per woman | -3.4% |
| 2024 | 1.21 live births per woman | +0.7% |
Italy compared with similar countries
- Italy's 1.21 live births per woman is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.51 live births per woman, 80% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Italy's 1.21 live births per woman is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.5 live births per woman, 81% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.36 live births per woman | 2.29 live births per woman | 2.52 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.51 live births per woman | 2.38 live births per woman | 2.66 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.15 live births per woman | 1.73 live births per woman | 2.4 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.45 live births per woman | 1.33 live births per woman | 1.65 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.24 live births per woman | 1.19 live births per woman | 1.33 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.33 live births per woman | 1.25 live births per woman | 1.44 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.36 live births per woman | 1.26 live births per woman | 1.44 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.23 live births per woman | 1.2 live births per woman | 1.25 live births per woman | 5 |
Countries ranked near Italy
- 217 United Arab Emirates 1.21 live births per woman compare
- 218 Lithuania 1.21 live births per woman compare
- 220 Thailand 1.2 live births per woman compare
- 221 San Marino 1.16 live births per woman compare
- 222 Chile 1.14 live births per woman compare
More education data for Italy
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 423,797 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 6,592 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 667,641 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 620,157 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.61 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.63 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.167 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0445 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Italy?
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Italy was 1.21 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 Italy?
- The highest recorded value was 2.66 live births per woman in 1964.
- What is the lowest fertility rate vs. average years of schooling recorded in Italy?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.19 live births per woman in 1995.
- How does Italy rank for fertility rate vs. average years of schooling?
- Italy ranks 219th out of 236 countries with data for 2024.
- Is fertility rate vs. average years of schooling rising or falling in Italy?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Italy 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 — 75 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.