Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate was 1.56 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.56 live births per woman
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
156th
of 236 countries
All-time high
2.93 live births per woman
in 1964
All-time low
1.56 live births per woman
in 2022
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in United Kingdom, 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 United Kingdom is 1.56 live births per woman, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 14.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in United Kingdom peaked at 2.93 live births per woman in 1964 and was at its lowest, 1.56 live births per woman, in 2022.
That places United Kingdom 156th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate 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% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 1.56 live births per woman is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.5 live births per woman, 1.0× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 1.56 live births per woman is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.49 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 | 1.57 live births per woman | 1.56 live births per woman | 1.58 live births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
- 153 Antigua and Barbuda 1.58 live births per woman compare
- 154 Slovenia 1.58 live births per woman compare
- 155 Maldives 1.57 live births per woman compare
- 156 Slovakia 1.56 live births per woman compare
- 158 Malaysia 1.55 live births per woman compare
- 159 Isle of Man 1.55 live births per woman compare
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 women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in United Kingdom?
- Women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate in United Kingdom was 1.56 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 2.93 live births per woman in 1964.
- What is the lowest women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.56 live births per woman in 2022.
- How does United Kingdom rank for women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate?
- United Kingdom ranks 156th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is women's educational attainment vs. fertility rate rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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.