Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in New Zealand
New Zealand: Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling was 1.66 live births per woman in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
1.66 live births per woman
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
143rd
of 236 countries
All-time high
4.31 live births per woman
in 1961
All-time low
1.63 live births per woman
in 2020
Years of data
75
1950–2024
Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in New Zealand, 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
In 2024, fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in New Zealand stood at 1.66 live births per woman.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 13.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in New Zealand peaked at 4.31 live births per woman in 1961 and was at its lowest, 1.63 live births per woman, in 2020.
That places New Zealand 143rd 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 75 years of available data.
Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 3.55 live births per woman | — |
| 1951 | 3.6 live births per woman | +1.4% |
| 1952 | 3.67 live births per woman | +1.8% |
| 1953 | 3.65 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1954 | 3.78 live births per woman | +3.4% |
| 1955 | 3.88 live births per woman | +2.7% |
| 1956 | 3.98 live births per woman | +2.6% |
| 1957 | 4.03 live births per woman | +1.3% |
| 1958 | 4.11 live births per woman | +2.0% |
| 1959 | 4.18 live births per woman | +1.7% |
| 1960 | 4.24 live births per woman | +1.5% |
| 1961 | 4.31 live births per woman | +1.5% |
| 1962 | 4.16 live births per woman | -3.4% |
| 1963 | 4.05 live births per woman | -2.7% |
| 1964 | 3.78 live births per woman | -6.7% |
| 1965 | 3.54 live births per woman | -6.3% |
| 1966 | 3.42 live births per woman | -3.3% |
| 1967 | 3.35 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 1968 | 3.33 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1969 | 3.27 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 1970 | 3.17 live births per woman | -3.2% |
| 1971 | 3.18 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1972 | 3 live births per woman | -5.7% |
| 1973 | 2.74 live births per woman | -8.7% |
| 1974 | 2.57 live births per woman | -6.0% |
| 1975 | 2.36 live births per woman | -8.4% |
| 1976 | 2.27 live births per woman | -3.7% |
| 1977 | 2.21 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 1978 | 2.08 live births per woman | -6.1% |
| 1979 | 2.11 live births per woman | +1.7% |
| 1980 | 2.03 live births per woman | -3.8% |
| 1981 | 2.01 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1982 | 1.95 live births per woman | -3.2% |
| 1983 | 1.92 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 1984 | 1.93 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 1.93 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 1.96 live births per woman | +1.6% |
| 1987 | 2.03 live births per woman | +3.5% |
| 1988 | 2.1 live births per woman | +3.4% |
| 1989 | 2.12 live births per woman | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 2.17 live births per woman | +2.2% |
| 1991 | 2.09 live births per woman | -3.5% |
| 1992 | 2.06 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 1993 | 2.04 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 1.98 live births per woman | -2.7% |
| 1995 | 1.98 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 1.96 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 1.96 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 1.9 live births per woman | -3.1% |
| 1999 | 1.97 live births per woman | +3.7% |
| 2000 | 1.98 live births per woman | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 1.96 live births per woman | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 1.89 live births per woman | -3.7% |
| 2003 | 1.93 live births per woman | +2.0% |
| 2004 | 1.98 live births per woman | +2.4% |
| 2005 | 1.96 live births per woman | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 2.01 live births per woman | +2.5% |
| 2007 | 2.17 live births per woman | +7.9% |
| 2008 | 2.19 live births per woman | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 2.13 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 2010 | 2.17 live births per woman | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 2.1 live births per woman | -3.2% |
| 2012 | 2.09 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 2 live births per woman | -4.0% |
| 2014 | 1.93 live births per woman | -3.9% |
| 2015 | 1.98 live births per woman | +3.0% |
| 2016 | 1.88 live births per woman | -5.3% |
| 2017 | 1.81 live births per woman | -3.5% |
| 2018 | 1.72 live births per woman | -5.1% |
| 2019 | 1.72 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 1.63 live births per woman | -5.1% |
| 2021 | 1.65 live births per woman | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 1.67 live births per woman | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 1.67 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 1.66 live births per woman | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.84 live births per woman | 3.55 live births per woman | 4.18 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.74 live births per woman | 3.27 live births per woman | 4.31 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.57 live births per woman | 2.08 live births per woman | 3.18 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 2 live births per woman | 1.92 live births per woman | 2.12 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.01 live births per woman | 1.9 live births per woman | 2.17 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.02 live births per woman | 1.89 live births per woman | 2.19 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.94 live births per woman | 1.72 live births per woman | 2.17 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.65 live births per woman | 1.63 live births per woman | 1.67 live births per woman | 5 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 140 Falkland Islands 1.69 live births per woman compare
- 141 Iran 1.68 live births per woman compare
- 142 Azerbaijan 1.67 live births per woman compare
- 144 Saint Helena 1.64 live births per woman compare
- 145 Australia 1.64 live births per woman compare
- 146 France 1.64 live births per woman compare
More education data for New Zealand
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 2.77 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 22,505 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 4,092 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 151,526 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 2 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 99,830 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) 3.98 % change on previous year (2024)
- Theoretical duration of primary education (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in New Zealand?
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in New Zealand was 1.66 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 New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 4.31 live births per woman in 1961.
- What is the lowest fertility rate vs. average years of schooling recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.63 live births per woman in 2020.
- How does New Zealand rank for fertility rate vs. average years of schooling?
- New Zealand ranks 143rd out of 236 countries with data for 2024.
- Is fertility rate vs. average years of schooling rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this New Zealand 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.