Canada’s fertility rate reached a new low in 2024.
According to Statistics Canada, the total fertility rate fell to 1.25 children per woman, down from 1.72 in 1991. That is a decline of roughly 27%.
The total fertility rate estimates how many children a woman would have over her lifetime if current fertility patterns continued. It is different from the raw number of births because it adjusts for population size and age patterns.
Canada has been below the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman for decades, meaning each generation is having fewer children than would be needed to replace itself without immigration.