Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Belgium
Belgium: Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate was 1.38 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.38 live births per woman
Change on year
down 10.9%
World rank
196th
of 236 countries
All-time high
2.7 live births per woman
in 1964
All-time low
1.38 live births per woman
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Belgium, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in live births per woman.
Analysis
In 2023, women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Belgium stood at 1.38 live births per woman. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of down 10.9% on the previous year and down 21.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Belgium peaked at 2.7 live births per woman in 1964 and was at its lowest, 1.38 live births per woman, in 2023.
That places Belgium 196th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Belgium, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2.35 live births per woman | — |
| 1951 | 2.29 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 1952 | 2.33 live births per woman | +1.9% |
| 1953 | 2.33 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1954 | 2.36 live births per woman | +1.5% |
| 1955 | 2.38 live births per woman | +0.9% |
| 1956 | 2.41 live births per woman | +1.1% |
| 1957 | 2.45 live births per woman | +1.8% |
| 1958 | 2.5 live births per woman | +1.9% |
| 1959 | 2.56 live births per woman | +2.4% |
| 1960 | 2.53 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1961 | 2.62 live births per woman | +3.5% |
| 1962 | 2.6 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1963 | 2.68 live births per woman | +3.1% |
| 1964 | 2.7 live births per woman | +1.0% |
| 1965 | 2.61 live births per woman | -3.3% |
| 1966 | 2.52 live births per woman | -3.6% |
| 1967 | 2.41 live births per woman | -4.4% |
| 1968 | 2.31 live births per woman | -4.1% |
| 1969 | 2.28 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 1970 | 2.25 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 1971 | 2.21 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 1972 | 2.09 live births per woman | -5.3% |
| 1973 | 1.95 live births per woman | -6.6% |
| 1974 | 1.84 live births per woman | -5.9% |
| 1975 | 1.75 live births per woman | -4.8% |
| 1976 | 1.74 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 1977 | 1.73 live births per woman | -0.7% |
| 1978 | 1.71 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 1979 | 1.71 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1980 | 1.69 live births per woman | -0.8% |
| 1981 | 1.67 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 1982 | 1.61 live births per woman | -3.4% |
| 1983 | 1.56 live births per woman | -3.1% |
| 1984 | 1.53 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 1985 | 1.5 live births per woman | -1.8% |
| 1986 | 1.54 live births per woman | +2.2% |
| 1987 | 1.54 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 1.57 live births per woman | +2.0% |
| 1989 | 1.58 live births per woman | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 1.62 live births per woman | +2.5% |
| 1991 | 1.66 live births per woman | +1.9% |
| 1992 | 1.65 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 1.61 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 1994 | 1.56 live births per woman | -2.7% |
| 1995 | 1.56 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 1.59 live births per woman | +1.7% |
| 1997 | 1.6 live births per woman | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 1.59 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 1.61 live births per woman | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 1.66 live births per woman | +3.0% |
| 2001 | 1.67 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 1.65 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 1.67 live births per woman | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 1.72 live births per woman | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 1.75 live births per woman | +2.0% |
| 2006 | 1.79 live births per woman | +2.3% |
| 2007 | 1.81 live births per woman | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 1.85 live births per woman | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 1.83 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 1.85 live births per woman | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 1.8 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 1.78 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 1.75 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 2014 | 1.73 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 1.69 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 2016 | 1.68 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 1.64 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 2018 | 1.62 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 2019 | 1.61 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 1.57 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 2021 | 1.6 live births per woman | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 1.55 live births per woman | -3.3% |
| 2023 | 1.38 live births per woman | -10.9% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 1.38 live births per woman is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.5 live births per woman, 92% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 1.38 live births per woman is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.49 live births per woman, 92% of the median. (56 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.4 live births per woman | 2.29 live births per woman | 2.56 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.53 live births per woman | 2.28 live births per woman | 2.7 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.9 live births per woman | 1.71 live births per woman | 2.25 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.58 live births per woman | 1.5 live births per woman | 1.69 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.61 live births per woman | 1.56 live births per woman | 1.66 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.74 live births per woman | 1.65 live births per woman | 1.85 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.71 live births per woman | 1.61 live births per woman | 1.85 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.52 live births per woman | 1.38 live births per woman | 1.6 live births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More education data for Belgium
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 137,795 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 17,384 (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 221,494 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 210,503 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.18 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 814,388 (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.1356 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0691 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Belgium?
- Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Belgium was 1.38 live births per woman in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 2.7 live births per woman in 1964.
- What is the lowest women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.38 live births per woman in 2023.
- How does Belgium rank for women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate?
- Belgium ranks 196th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total fertility rate: the average number of children a woman would have if she experienced the year's age-specific birth rates throughout her childbearing years.