Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in China
China: Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate was 0.999 live births per woman in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
0.999 live births per woman
Change on year
down 3.4%
World rank
228th
of 236 countries
All-time high
7.51 live births per woman
in 1963
All-time low
0.999 live births per woman
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in China, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in live births per woman.
Analysis
The most recent figure for women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in China is 0.999 live births per woman, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of down 3.4% on the previous year and down 41.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in China peaked at 7.51 live births per woman in 1963 and was at its lowest, 0.999 live births per woman, in 2023.
China ranks 228th of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in China, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 5.81 live births per woman | — |
| 1951 | 5.7 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 1952 | 6.47 live births per woman | +13.6% |
| 1953 | 6.04 live births per woman | -6.6% |
| 1954 | 6.28 live births per woman | +3.9% |
| 1955 | 6.26 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1956 | 5.85 live births per woman | -6.5% |
| 1957 | 6.42 live births per woman | +9.8% |
| 1958 | 5.7 live births per woman | -11.3% |
| 1959 | 4.72 live births per woman | -17.2% |
| 1960 | 4.45 live births per woman | -5.7% |
| 1961 | 3.86 live births per woman | -13.2% |
| 1962 | 6.08 live births per woman | +57.5% |
| 1963 | 7.51 live births per woman | +23.5% |
| 1964 | 6.67 live births per woman | -11.2% |
| 1965 | 6.61 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1966 | 6.31 live births per woman | -4.5% |
| 1967 | 5.81 live births per woman | -7.9% |
| 1968 | 6.51 live births per woman | +12.1% |
| 1969 | 6.17 live births per woman | -5.1% |
| 1970 | 6.08 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 1971 | 5.52 live births per woman | -9.2% |
| 1972 | 5.11 live births per woman | -7.4% |
| 1973 | 4.73 live births per woman | -7.6% |
| 1974 | 4.17 live births per woman | -11.8% |
| 1975 | 3.57 live births per woman | -14.4% |
| 1976 | 3.23 live births per woman | -9.4% |
| 1977 | 2.84 live births per woman | -12.1% |
| 1978 | 2.72 live births per woman | -4.5% |
| 1979 | 2.75 live births per woman | +1.1% |
| 1980 | 2.74 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1981 | 2.79 live births per woman | +1.9% |
| 1982 | 2.97 live births per woman | +6.4% |
| 1983 | 2.56 live births per woman | -13.9% |
| 1984 | 2.61 live births per woman | +1.9% |
| 1985 | 2.63 live births per woman | +1.0% |
| 1986 | 2.72 live births per woman | +3.3% |
| 1987 | 2.76 live births per woman | +1.4% |
| 1988 | 2.54 live births per woman | -8.0% |
| 1989 | 2.52 live births per woman | -0.7% |
| 1990 | 2.51 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 1.93 live births per woman | -23.1% |
| 1992 | 1.78 live births per woman | -8.2% |
| 1993 | 1.69 live births per woman | -4.8% |
| 1994 | 1.63 live births per woman | -3.7% |
| 1995 | 1.59 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 1996 | 1.55 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 1997 | 1.53 live births per woman | -1.7% |
| 1998 | 1.52 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 1.53 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 1.63 live births per woman | +6.4% |
| 2001 | 1.56 live births per woman | -4.0% |
| 2002 | 1.57 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 1.57 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 1.6 live births per woman | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 1.62 live births per woman | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 1.64 live births per woman | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 1.67 live births per woman | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 1.7 live births per woman | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 1.71 live births per woman | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 1.69 live births per woman | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 1.67 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 1.8 live births per woman | +7.8% |
| 2013 | 1.71 live births per woman | -4.7% |
| 2014 | 1.77 live births per woman | +3.2% |
| 2015 | 1.67 live births per woman | -5.6% |
| 2016 | 1.77 live births per woman | +6.1% |
| 2017 | 1.79 live births per woman | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 1.54 live births per woman | -14.3% |
| 2019 | 1.5 live births per woman | -2.8% |
| 2020 | 1.24 live births per woman | -17.4% |
| 2021 | 1.12 live births per woman | -9.6% |
| 2022 | 1.03 live births per woman | -7.4% |
| 2023 | 0.999 live births per woman | -3.4% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 0.999 live births per woman is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.82 live births per woman, 55% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- China's 0.999 live births per woman is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.13 live births per woman, 47% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in China 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | +57.5% | 3.86 live births per woman | 6.08 live births per woman |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 5.93 live births per woman | 4.72 live births per woman | 6.47 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 6 live births per woman | 3.86 live births per woman | 7.51 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.07 live births per woman | 2.72 live births per woman | 6.08 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.68 live births per woman | 2.52 live births per woman | 2.97 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.73 live births per woman | 1.52 live births per woman | 2.51 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.63 live births per woman | 1.56 live births per woman | 1.71 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.69 live births per woman | 1.5 live births per woman | 1.8 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.1 live births per woman | 0.999 live births per woman | 1.24 live births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
- 225 Curacao 1.07 live births per woman compare
- 226 British Virgin Islands 1.04 live births per woman compare
- 227 Vatican 1 live births per woman compare
- 229 Ukraine 0.977 live births per woman compare
- 230 Singapore 0.943 live births per woman compare
- 231 Puerto Rico 0.941 live births per woman compare
More education data for China
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 7.41 million (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 7,020 (2021)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 21.58 million (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 19.36 million (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 97.98 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 108.57 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 0.9587 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0771 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in China?
- Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in China was 0.999 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 China?
- The highest recorded value was 7.51 live births per woman in 1963.
- What is the lowest women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.999 live births per woman in 2023.
- How does China rank for women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate?
- China ranks 228th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is down 41.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this China 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.