Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Japan
Japan: Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling was 1.22 live births per woman in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
1.22 live births per woman
Change on year
up 0.7%
World rank
215th
of 236 countries
All-time high
4.61 live births per woman
in 1947
All-time low
1.21 live births per woman
in 2023
Years of data
78
1947–2024
Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Japan, 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
The most recent figure for fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Japan is 1.22 live births per woman, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and down 12.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Japan peaked at 4.61 live births per woman in 1947 and was at its lowest, 1.21 live births per woman, in 2023.
That places Japan 215th out of 236 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 Japan, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1947 | 4.61 live births per woman | — |
| 1948 | 4.46 live births per woman | -3.3% |
| 1949 | 4.37 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 1950 | 3.62 live births per woman | -17.3% |
| 1951 | 3.23 live births per woman | -10.8% |
| 1952 | 2.95 live births per woman | -8.6% |
| 1953 | 2.67 live births per woman | -9.3% |
| 1954 | 2.47 live births per woman | -7.7% |
| 1955 | 2.35 live births per woman | -4.8% |
| 1956 | 2.21 live births per woman | -6.1% |
| 1957 | 2.04 live births per woman | -7.7% |
| 1958 | 2.1 live births per woman | +3.0% |
| 1959 | 2.04 live births per woman | -3.0% |
| 1960 | 1.98 live births per woman | -2.7% |
| 1961 | 1.93 live births per woman | -2.7% |
| 1962 | 1.93 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 1.95 live births per woman | +1.2% |
| 1964 | 2 live births per woman | +2.4% |
| 1965 | 2.09 live births per woman | +4.6% |
| 1966 | 1.63 live births per woman | -21.9% |
| 1967 | 2.16 live births per woman | +32.2% |
| 1968 | 2.06 live births per woman | -4.3% |
| 1969 | 2.03 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 1970 | 2.04 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1971 | 2.09 live births per woman | +2.7% |
| 1972 | 2.11 live births per woman | +1.2% |
| 1973 | 2.15 live births per woman | +1.5% |
| 1974 | 2.06 live births per woman | -3.7% |
| 1975 | 1.92 live births per woman | -7.0% |
| 1976 | 1.84 live births per woman | -4.2% |
| 1977 | 1.79 live births per woman | -2.8% |
| 1978 | 1.79 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1979 | 1.77 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1980 | 1.74 live births per woman | -1.7% |
| 1981 | 1.72 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 1982 | 1.74 live births per woman | +1.2% |
| 1983 | 1.77 live births per woman | +1.8% |
| 1984 | 1.78 live births per woman | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 1.74 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 1986 | 1.7 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 1987 | 1.67 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 1988 | 1.62 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 1989 | 1.55 live births per woman | -4.8% |
| 1990 | 1.51 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 1991 | 1.5 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 1.48 live births per woman | -1.7% |
| 1993 | 1.44 live births per woman | -2.6% |
| 1994 | 1.47 live births per woman | +1.9% |
| 1995 | 1.41 live births per woman | -4.2% |
| 1996 | 1.4 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 1.38 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 1.37 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 1.34 live births per woman | -2.3% |
| 2000 | 1.35 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 1.32 live births per woman | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 1.31 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 1.28 live births per woman | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 1.28 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 1.25 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 1.28 live births per woman | +3.2% |
| 2007 | 1.3 live births per woman | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 1.33 live births per woman | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 1.33 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 1.36 live births per woman | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 1.36 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 1.38 live births per woman | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 1.39 live births per woman | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 1.39 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 1.42 live births per woman | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 1.41 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 1.39 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 1.37 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 1.32 live births per woman | -3.6% |
| 2020 | 1.3 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 2021 | 1.27 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 2022 | 1.26 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 2023 | 1.21 live births per woman | -3.8% |
| 2024 | 1.22 live births per woman | +0.7% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 1.22 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)
- Japan's 1.22 live births per woman is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.12 live births per woman, 58% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Japan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | +32.2% | 1.63 live births per woman | 2.16 live births per woman |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 4.48 live births per woman | 4.37 live births per woman | 4.61 live births per woman | 3 |
| 1950s | 2.57 live births per woman | 2.04 live births per woman | 3.62 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.98 live births per woman | 1.63 live births per woman | 2.16 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.96 live births per woman | 1.77 live births per woman | 2.15 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.7 live births per woman | 1.55 live births per woman | 1.78 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.43 live births per woman | 1.34 live births per woman | 1.51 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.3 live births per woman | 1.25 live births per woman | 1.35 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.38 live births per woman | 1.32 live births per woman | 1.42 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.25 live births per woman | 1.21 live births per woman | 1.3 live births per woman | 5 |
Countries ranked near Japan
- 212 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 1.27 live births per woman compare
- 213 Mauritius 1.23 live births per woman compare
- 214 Spain 1.22 live births per woman compare
- 215 Belarus 1.22 live births per woman compare
- 217 United Arab Emirates 1.21 live births per woman compare
- 218 Lithuania 1.21 live births per woman compare
More education data for Japan
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 627,777 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (1999)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.50 million (1999)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.46 million (1999)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.61 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.25 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.01 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0502 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Japan?
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Japan was 1.22 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 Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 4.61 live births per woman in 1947.
- What is the lowest fertility rate vs. average years of schooling recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.21 live births per woman in 2023.
- How does Japan rank for fertility rate vs. average years of schooling?
- Japan ranks 215th out of 236 countries with data for 2024.
- Is fertility rate vs. average years of schooling rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan 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.