Fertility rate vs. child mortality in India
India: Fertility rate vs. child mortality was 1.98 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.98 live births per woman
Change on year
down 1.0%
World rank
117th
of 236 countries
All-time high
5.98 live births per woman
in 1964
All-time low
1.98 live births per woman
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Fertility rate vs. child mortality in India, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in live births per woman.
Analysis
India recorded 1.98 live births per woman for fertility rate vs. child mortality in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.0% on the previous year and down 17.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate vs. child mortality in India peaked at 5.98 live births per woman in 1964 and was at its lowest, 1.98 live births per woman, in 2023.
India ranks 117th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Fertility rate vs. child mortality in India, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 5.73 live births per woman | — |
| 1951 | 5.77 live births per woman | +0.7% |
| 1952 | 5.82 live births per woman | +0.8% |
| 1953 | 5.87 live births per woman | +0.8% |
| 1954 | 5.91 live births per woman | +0.7% |
| 1955 | 5.91 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1956 | 5.91 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 5.91 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 5.9 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1959 | 5.89 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1960 | 5.92 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1961 | 5.94 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1962 | 5.95 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1963 | 5.97 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1964 | 5.98 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1965 | 5.94 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 1966 | 5.88 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1967 | 5.83 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1968 | 5.76 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 1969 | 5.68 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 1970 | 5.62 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 1971 | 5.57 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1972 | 5.48 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 1973 | 5.4 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 1974 | 5.33 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 1975 | 5.2 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 1976 | 5.13 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 1977 | 5.01 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 1978 | 4.89 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 1979 | 4.81 live births per woman | -1.6% |
| 1980 | 4.78 live births per woman | -0.7% |
| 1981 | 4.7 live births per woman | -1.6% |
| 1982 | 4.62 live births per woman | -1.7% |
| 1983 | 4.57 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 1984 | 4.52 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 1985 | 4.43 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 1986 | 4.4 live births per woman | -0.7% |
| 1987 | 4.31 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 1988 | 4.22 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 1989 | 4.13 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 1990 | 4.04 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 1991 | 3.96 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 1992 | 3.88 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 1993 | 3.8 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 1994 | 3.72 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 1995 | 3.65 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 1996 | 3.58 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 1997 | 3.51 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 3.45 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 1999 | 3.38 live births per woman | -1.8% |
| 2000 | 3.35 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 3.3 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 3.22 live births per woman | -2.6% |
| 2003 | 3.12 live births per woman | -3.0% |
| 2004 | 3.05 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 2005 | 2.96 live births per woman | -2.9% |
| 2006 | 2.87 live births per woman | -3.1% |
| 2007 | 2.77 live births per woman | -3.2% |
| 2008 | 2.71 live births per woman | -2.3% |
| 2009 | 2.67 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 2.6 live births per woman | -2.8% |
| 2011 | 2.53 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 2012 | 2.47 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 2013 | 2.4 live births per woman | -2.9% |
| 2014 | 2.29 live births per woman | -4.4% |
| 2015 | 2.29 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 2.28 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 2.19 live births per woman | -4.0% |
| 2018 | 2.18 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 2.12 live births per woman | -2.9% |
| 2020 | 2.05 live births per woman | -3.4% |
| 2021 | 2.01 live births per woman | -1.6% |
| 2022 | 1.99 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 2023 | 1.98 live births per woman | -1.0% |
India compared with similar countries
- India's 1.98 live births per woman is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.15 live births per woman, 63% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- India's 1.98 live births per woman is above the median for South Asia, which is 1.97 live births per woman, 1.0× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 5.86 live births per woman | 5.73 live births per woman | 5.91 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 5.88 live births per woman | 5.68 live births per woman | 5.98 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 5.24 live births per woman | 4.81 live births per woman | 5.62 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.47 live births per woman | 4.13 live births per woman | 4.78 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.7 live births per woman | 3.38 live births per woman | 4.04 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 3 live births per woman | 2.67 live births per woman | 3.35 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.34 live births per woman | 2.12 live births per woman | 2.6 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.01 live births per woman | 1.98 live births per woman | 2.05 live births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near India
More health data for India
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.12 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.4372 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,332 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 44,822 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 38 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.3809 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0372 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.5922 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate vs. child mortality in India?
- Fertility rate vs. child mortality in India was 1.98 live births per woman in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility rate vs. child mortality recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 5.98 live births per woman in 1964.
- What is the lowest fertility rate vs. child mortality recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.98 live births per woman in 2023.
- How does India rank for fertility rate vs. child mortality?
- India ranks 117th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility rate vs. child mortality rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility rate vs. child mortality. 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.