Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling was 1.55 live births per woman in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
1.55 live births per woman
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
157th
of 236 countries
All-time high
2.93 live births per woman
in 1964
All-time low
1.55 live births per woman
in 2024
Years of data
75
1950–2024
Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in United Kingdom, 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 United Kingdom stood at 1.55 live births per woman. That is the lowest value across all 75 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 14.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in United Kingdom peaked at 2.93 live births per woman in 1964 and was at its lowest, 1.55 live births per woman, in 2024.
United Kingdom ranks 157th of 236 countries on this measure, 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 United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2.22 live births per woman | — |
| 1951 | 2.19 live births per woman | -1.8% |
| 1952 | 2.19 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1953 | 2.23 live births per woman | +1.6% |
| 1954 | 2.25 live births per woman | +0.9% |
| 1955 | 2.28 live births per woman | +1.5% |
| 1956 | 2.38 live births per woman | +4.2% |
| 1957 | 2.47 live births per woman | +4.0% |
| 1958 | 2.55 live births per woman | +3.1% |
| 1959 | 2.6 live births per woman | +2.3% |
| 1960 | 2.7 live births per woman | +3.8% |
| 1961 | 2.79 live births per woman | +3.1% |
| 1962 | 2.87 live births per woman | +2.8% |
| 1963 | 2.91 live births per woman | +1.5% |
| 1964 | 2.93 live births per woman | +0.7% |
| 1965 | 2.87 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 1966 | 2.78 live births per woman | -3.1% |
| 1967 | 2.68 live births per woman | -3.6% |
| 1968 | 2.59 live births per woman | -3.2% |
| 1969 | 2.5 live births per woman | -3.5% |
| 1970 | 2.42 live births per woman | -3.2% |
| 1971 | 2.34 live births per woman | -3.2% |
| 1972 | 2.18 live births per woman | -6.9% |
| 1973 | 2.04 live births per woman | -6.7% |
| 1974 | 1.92 live births per woman | -5.9% |
| 1975 | 1.81 live births per woman | -5.6% |
| 1976 | 1.74 live births per woman | -3.8% |
| 1977 | 1.69 live births per woman | -2.8% |
| 1978 | 1.75 live births per woman | +3.8% |
| 1979 | 1.86 live births per woman | +5.9% |
| 1980 | 1.89 live births per woman | +1.7% |
| 1981 | 1.82 live births per woman | -3.8% |
| 1982 | 1.78 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 1983 | 1.77 live births per woman | -0.7% |
| 1984 | 1.77 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 1.79 live births per woman | +1.2% |
| 1986 | 1.78 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 1.81 live births per woman | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 1.82 live births per woman | +0.7% |
| 1989 | 1.79 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 1990 | 1.83 live births per woman | +2.0% |
| 1991 | 1.82 live births per woman | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 1.79 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 1993 | 1.76 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 1994 | 1.74 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 1995 | 1.71 live births per woman | -1.6% |
| 1996 | 1.72 live births per woman | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 1.72 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 1.71 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 1.68 live births per woman | -1.7% |
| 2000 | 1.64 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 2001 | 1.62 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 1.63 live births per woman | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 1.7 live births per woman | +4.0% |
| 2004 | 1.75 live births per woman | +2.9% |
| 2005 | 1.76 live births per woman | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 1.81 live births per woman | +2.9% |
| 2007 | 1.86 live births per woman | +2.8% |
| 2008 | 1.91 live births per woman | +2.3% |
| 2009 | 1.89 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 1.92 live births per woman | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 1.91 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 1.91 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 1.83 live births per woman | -4.1% |
| 2014 | 1.81 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 2015 | 1.8 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 1.78 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 1.74 live births per woman | -2.8% |
| 2018 | 1.68 live births per woman | -3.4% |
| 2019 | 1.63 live births per woman | -2.6% |
| 2020 | 1.57 live births per woman | -3.7% |
| 2021 | 1.58 live births per woman | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 1.56 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 2023 | 1.56 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 1.55 live births per woman | -0.6% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 1.55 live births per woman is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.51 live births per woman, 1.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 1.55 live births per woman is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.5 live births per woman, 1.0× the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.33 live births per woman | 2.19 live births per woman | 2.6 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.76 live births per woman | 2.5 live births per woman | 2.93 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.97 live births per woman | 1.69 live births per woman | 2.42 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.8 live births per woman | 1.77 live births per woman | 1.89 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.75 live births per woman | 1.68 live births per woman | 1.83 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.76 live births per woman | 1.62 live births per woman | 1.91 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.8 live births per woman | 1.63 live births per woman | 1.92 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.56 live births per woman | 1.55 live births per woman | 1.58 live births per woman | 5 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More education data for United Kingdom
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 388,714 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (2012)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 830,495 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 790,556 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.40 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.86 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.0111 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.071 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in United Kingdom?
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling in United Kingdom was 1.55 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 2.93 live births per woman in 1964.
- What is the lowest fertility rate vs. average years of schooling recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.55 live births per woman in 2024.
- How does United Kingdom rank for fertility rate vs. average years of schooling?
- United Kingdom ranks 157th out of 236 countries with data for 2024.
- Is fertility rate vs. average years of schooling rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.