Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Japan
Japan: Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate was 1.21 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.21 live births per woman
Change on year
down 3.8%
World rank
216th
of 236 countries
All-time high
3.62 live births per woman
in 1950
All-time low
1.21 live births per woman
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Japan, 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 Japan is 1.21 live births per woman, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of down 3.8% on the previous year and down 13.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Japan peaked at 3.62 live births per woman in 1950 and was at its lowest, 1.21 live births per woman, in 2023.
That places Japan 216th 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 Japan, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 3.62 live births per woman | — |
| 1951 | 3.23 live births per woman | -10.8% |
| 1952 | 2.95 live births per woman | -8.6% |
| 1953 | 2.67 live births per woman | -9.3% |
| 1954 | 2.47 live births per woman | -7.7% |
| 1955 | 2.35 live births per woman | -4.8% |
| 1956 | 2.21 live births per woman | -6.1% |
| 1957 | 2.04 live births per woman | -7.7% |
| 1958 | 2.1 live births per woman | +3.0% |
| 1959 | 2.04 live births per woman | -3.0% |
| 1960 | 1.98 live births per woman | -2.7% |
| 1961 | 1.93 live births per woman | -2.7% |
| 1962 | 1.93 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 1.95 live births per woman | +1.2% |
| 1964 | 2 live births per woman | +2.4% |
| 1965 | 2.09 live births per woman | +4.6% |
| 1966 | 1.63 live births per woman | -21.9% |
| 1967 | 2.16 live births per woman | +32.2% |
| 1968 | 2.06 live births per woman | -4.3% |
| 1969 | 2.03 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 1970 | 2.04 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1971 | 2.09 live births per woman | +2.7% |
| 1972 | 2.11 live births per woman | +1.2% |
| 1973 | 2.15 live births per woman | +1.5% |
| 1974 | 2.06 live births per woman | -3.7% |
| 1975 | 1.92 live births per woman | -7.0% |
| 1976 | 1.84 live births per woman | -4.2% |
| 1977 | 1.79 live births per woman | -2.8% |
| 1978 | 1.79 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1979 | 1.77 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1980 | 1.74 live births per woman | -1.7% |
| 1981 | 1.72 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 1982 | 1.74 live births per woman | +1.2% |
| 1983 | 1.77 live births per woman | +1.8% |
| 1984 | 1.78 live births per woman | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 1.74 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 1986 | 1.7 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 1987 | 1.67 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 1988 | 1.62 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 1989 | 1.55 live births per woman | -4.8% |
| 1990 | 1.51 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 1991 | 1.5 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 1.48 live births per woman | -1.7% |
| 1993 | 1.44 live births per woman | -2.6% |
| 1994 | 1.47 live births per woman | +1.9% |
| 1995 | 1.41 live births per woman | -4.2% |
| 1996 | 1.4 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 1.38 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 1.37 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 1.34 live births per woman | -2.3% |
| 2000 | 1.35 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 1.32 live births per woman | -1.6% |
| 2002 | 1.31 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 2003 | 1.28 live births per woman | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 1.28 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 1.25 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 1.28 live births per woman | +3.2% |
| 2007 | 1.3 live births per woman | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 1.33 live births per woman | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 1.33 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 1.36 live births per woman | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 1.36 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 1.38 live births per woman | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 1.39 live births per woman | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 1.39 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 1.42 live births per woman | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 1.41 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 1.39 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 1.37 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 1.32 live births per woman | -3.6% |
| 2020 | 1.3 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 2021 | 1.27 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 2022 | 1.26 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 2023 | 1.21 live births per woman | -3.8% |
Japan compared with similar countries
- Japan's 1.21 live births per woman is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.5 live births per woman, 80% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Japan's 1.21 live births per woman is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.13 live births per woman, 57% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Japan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | +32.2% | 1.63 live births per woman | 2.16 live births per woman |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.57 live births per woman | 2.04 live births per woman | 3.62 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.98 live births per woman | 1.63 live births per woman | 2.16 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.96 live births per woman | 1.77 live births per woman | 2.15 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.7 live births per woman | 1.55 live births per woman | 1.78 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.43 live births per woman | 1.34 live births per woman | 1.51 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.3 live births per woman | 1.25 live births per woman | 1.35 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.38 live births per woman | 1.32 live births per woman | 1.42 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.26 live births per woman | 1.21 live births per woman | 1.3 live births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near Japan
More education data for Japan
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 627,777 (2023)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 0 (1999)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.50 million (1999)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.46 million (1999)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.61 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 6.25 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -1.01 % change on previous year (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0502 units per person (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Japan?
- Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in Japan was 1.21 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 Japan?
- The highest recorded value was 3.62 live births per woman in 1950.
- What is the lowest women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate recorded in Japan?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.21 live births per woman in 2023.
- How does Japan rank for women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate?
- Japan ranks 216th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate rising or falling in Japan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Japan 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
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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.