Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Netherlands
Netherlands: Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling was 1.43 live births per woman in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
1.43 live births per woman
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
188th
of 236 countries
All-time high
3.21 live births per woman
in 1961
All-time low
1.43 live births per woman
in 2023
Years of data
75
1950–2024
Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Netherlands, 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 Netherlands is 1.43 live births per woman, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and down 15.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Netherlands peaked at 3.21 live births per woman in 1961 and was at its lowest, 1.43 live births per woman, in 2023.
That places Netherlands 188th 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 Netherlands, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 3.1 live births per woman | — |
| 1951 | 3.06 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 1952 | 3.09 live births per woman | +1.0% |
| 1953 | 3.04 live births per woman | -1.8% |
| 1954 | 3.03 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1955 | 3.03 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1956 | 3.05 live births per woman | +0.7% |
| 1957 | 3.07 live births per woman | +0.7% |
| 1958 | 3.1 live births per woman | +0.9% |
| 1959 | 3.16 live births per woman | +1.8% |
| 1960 | 3.12 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 1961 | 3.21 live births per woman | +2.9% |
| 1962 | 3.17 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 1963 | 3.18 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1964 | 3.15 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 1965 | 3.03 live births per woman | -3.9% |
| 1966 | 2.9 live births per woman | -4.4% |
| 1967 | 2.8 live births per woman | -3.3% |
| 1968 | 2.71 live births per woman | -3.3% |
| 1969 | 2.74 live births per woman | +1.1% |
| 1970 | 2.57 live births per woman | -6.0% |
| 1971 | 2.37 live births per woman | -8.0% |
| 1972 | 2.15 live births per woman | -9.0% |
| 1973 | 1.91 live births per woman | -11.3% |
| 1974 | 1.77 live births per woman | -7.1% |
| 1975 | 1.67 live births per woman | -6.1% |
| 1976 | 1.63 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 1977 | 1.58 live births per woman | -2.8% |
| 1978 | 1.58 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 1979 | 1.56 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 1980 | 1.6 live births per woman | +2.0% |
| 1981 | 1.56 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 1982 | 1.49 live births per woman | -4.1% |
| 1983 | 1.47 live births per woman | -1.8% |
| 1984 | 1.49 live births per woman | +1.4% |
| 1985 | 1.51 live births per woman | +1.4% |
| 1986 | 1.55 live births per woman | +2.6% |
| 1987 | 1.56 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 1.54 live births per woman | -0.7% |
| 1989 | 1.56 live births per woman | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 1.61 live births per woman | +3.7% |
| 1991 | 1.61 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 1.59 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 1993 | 1.57 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 1994 | 1.57 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 1.53 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 1996 | 1.53 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 1.56 live births per woman | +2.2% |
| 1998 | 1.63 live births per woman | +4.1% |
| 1999 | 1.66 live births per woman | +1.7% |
| 2000 | 1.72 live births per woman | +3.9% |
| 2001 | 1.71 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 1.73 live births per woman | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 1.74 live births per woman | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 1.72 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 1.71 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 1.72 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 1.71 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 1.76 live births per woman | +2.9% |
| 2009 | 1.78 live births per woman | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 1.79 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 1.75 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 2012 | 1.72 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 2013 | 1.68 live births per woman | -2.3% |
| 2014 | 1.7 live births per woman | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 1.66 live births per woman | -2.8% |
| 2016 | 1.66 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 1.62 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 1.58 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 2019 | 1.57 live births per woman | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 1.54 live births per woman | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 1.62 live births per woman | +5.1% |
| 2022 | 1.51 live births per woman | -6.8% |
| 2023 | 1.43 live births per woman | -5.5% |
| 2024 | 1.43 live births per woman | +0.3% |
Netherlands compared with similar countries
- Netherlands's 1.43 live births per woman is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.51 live births per woman, 95% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Netherlands's 1.43 live births per woman is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.5 live births per woman, 96% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.07 live births per woman | 3.03 live births per woman | 3.16 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 3 live births per woman | 2.71 live births per woman | 3.21 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.88 live births per woman | 1.56 live births per woman | 2.57 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.53 live births per woman | 1.47 live births per woman | 1.6 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.59 live births per woman | 1.53 live births per woman | 1.66 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.73 live births per woman | 1.71 live births per woman | 1.78 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.67 live births per woman | 1.57 live births per woman | 1.79 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.51 live births per woman | 1.43 live births per woman | 1.62 live births per woman | 5 |
Countries ranked near Netherlands
- 185 Cuba 1.45 live births per woman compare
- 186 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 1.44 live births per woman compare
- 187 Switzerland 1.44 live births per woman compare
- 188 Sweden 1.43 live births per woman compare
- 190 Norway 1.41 live births per woman compare
- 191 Bermuda 1.41 live births per woman compare
- 191 Wallis and Futuna 1.41 live births per woman compare
More education data for Netherlands
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 118,472 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 23,856 (1985)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 247,743 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 240,049 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.61 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.14 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.0937 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.064 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Netherlands?
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in Netherlands was 1.43 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 Netherlands?
- The highest recorded value was 3.21 live births per woman in 1961.
- What is the lowest fertility rate vs. average years of schooling recorded in Netherlands?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.43 live births per woman in 2023.
- How does Netherlands rank for fertility rate vs. average years of schooling?
- Netherlands ranks 188th out of 236 countries with data for 2024.
- Is fertility rate vs. average years of schooling rising or falling in Netherlands?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Netherlands 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.