Fertility rate, total in France

France: Fertility rate, total was 1.61 births per woman in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
1.61 births per woman
Change on year
down 3.0%
World rank
135th
of 217 countries
All-time high
2.89 births per woman
in 1962
All-time low
1.61 births per woman
in 2024
Years of data
65
1960–2024

Fertility rate, total in France, 1960–2024

0123196019922024

Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in births per woman.

Analysis

France recorded 1.61 births per woman for fertility rate, total in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 65 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.0% on the previous year and down 19.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, fertility rate, total in France peaked at 2.89 births per woman in 1962 and was at its lowest, 1.61 births per woman, in 2024.

France ranks 135th of 217 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.

Fertility rate, total in France, year by year

Annual values for Fertility rate, total (births per woman) in France, 1960 to 2024.
Year births per woman Change
1960 2.85 births per woman
1961 2.87 births per woman +0.7%
1962 2.89 births per woman +0.7%
1963 2.89 births per woman +0.0%
1964 2.87 births per woman -0.7%
1965 2.84 births per woman -1.0%
1966 2.8 births per woman -1.4%
1967 2.75 births per woman -1.8%
1968 2.69 births per woman -2.2%
1969 2.62 births per woman -2.6%
1970 2.55 births per woman -2.7%
1971 2.47 births per woman -3.1%
1972 2.38 births per woman -3.6%
1973 2.28 births per woman -4.2%
1974 2.18 births per woman -4.4%
1975 2.09 births per woman -4.1%
1976 2.01 births per woman -3.8%
1977 1.94 births per woman -3.5%
1978 1.89 births per woman -2.6%
1979 1.87 births per woman -1.1%
1980 1.85 births per woman -1.1%
1981 1.85 births per woman +0.0%
1982 1.86 births per woman +0.5%
1983 1.86 births per woman +0.0%
1984 1.86 births per woman +0.0%
1985 1.86 births per woman +0.0%
1986 1.85 births per woman -0.5%
1987 1.83 births per woman -1.1%
1988 1.81 births per woman -1.1%
1989 1.79 births per woman -1.1%
1990 1.77 births per woman -1.1%
1991 1.75 births per woman -1.1%
1992 1.74 births per woman -0.6%
1993 1.73 births per woman -0.6%
1994 1.73 births per woman +0.0%
1995 1.74 births per woman +0.6%
1996 1.75 births per woman +0.6%
1997 1.77 births per woman +1.1%
1998 1.78 births per woman +0.6%
1999 1.81 births per woman +1.7%
2000 1.89 births per woman +4.4%
2001 1.9 births per woman +0.5%
2002 1.88 births per woman -1.1%
2003 1.89 births per woman +0.5%
2004 1.92 births per woman +1.6%
2005 1.94 births per woman +1.0%
2006 2 births per woman +3.1%
2007 1.98 births per woman -1.0%
2008 2.01 births per woman +1.5%
2009 2 births per woman -0.5%
2010 2.03 births per woman +1.5%
2011 2.01 births per woman -1.0%
2012 2.01 births per woman +0.0%
2013 1.99 births per woman -1.0%
2014 2 births per woman +0.5%
2015 1.96 births per woman -2.0%
2016 1.92 births per woman -2.0%
2017 1.89 births per woman -1.6%
2018 1.87 births per woman -1.1%
2019 1.86 births per woman -0.5%
2020 1.82 births per woman -2.2%
2021 1.83 births per woman +0.5%
2022 1.78 births per woman -2.7%
2023 1.66 births per woman -6.7%
2024 1.61 births per woman -3.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 2.81 births per woman 2.62 births per woman 2.89 births per woman 10
1970s 2.17 births per woman 1.87 births per woman 2.55 births per woman 10
1980s 1.84 births per woman 1.79 births per woman 1.86 births per woman 10
1990s 1.76 births per woman 1.73 births per woman 1.81 births per woman 10
2000s 1.94 births per woman 1.88 births per woman 2.01 births per woman 10
2010s 1.95 births per woman 1.86 births per woman 2.03 births per woman 10
2020s 1.74 births per woman 1.61 births per woman 1.83 births per woman 5

Countries ranked near France

  1. 132 Colombia 1.63 births per woman compare
  2. 133 United States 1.63 births per woman compare
  3. 134 Brazil 1.61 births per woman compare
  4. 136 Aruba 1.61 births per woman compare
  5. 137 Antigua and Barbuda 1.58 births per woman compare
  6. 138 New Zealand 1.57 births per woman compare

See the full ranking of 265 places →

More health data for France

All data for France →

Frequently asked questions

What is fertility rate, total in France?
Fertility rate, total in France was 1.61 births per woman in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
What is the highest fertility rate, total recorded in France?
The highest recorded value was 2.89 births per woman in 1962.
What is the lowest fertility rate, total recorded in France?
The lowest recorded value was 1.61 births per woman in 2024.
How does France rank for fertility rate, total?
France ranks 135th out of 217 countries with data for 2024.
Is fertility rate, total rising or falling in France?
Over the last ten years it is down 19.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this France data come from?
The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Fertility rate, total (births per woman). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Fertility rate, total in France. Statizoid, drawing on World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Retrieved 28 August 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/fertility-rate-total-births-per-woman/france/

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About this data

Indicator
Fertility rate, total (births per woman)
Unit
births per woman
Source
World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
265 places, 17,193 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed

Total fertility rate represents the number of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her childbearing years and bear children in accordance with age-specific fertility rates of the specified year.