Which Country Has the Lowest Birth Rate?

Of the large, western countries, Spain has the lowest birth rate at 1.32 children per woman. For countries overall, Macau, which borders China, has the lowest rate of less than 1 child per woman. Hong Kong has the second overall lowest rate of 1.04 children per woman.

More Reproducing Facts:

  • In 1970, Spain's fertility rate was 2.9 children per woman. One of the reasons for the overall decrease is the number of years a student must spend in school to be considered for a "good" job. Employers in Spain value a college bachelor's degree less and less, requiring students to spend more years earning master's degrees and doctorate degrees instead of getting married and starting a family.

  • The country with the highest birth rate is Niger in West Africa where 7.68 children per woman are born, on average. Niger, a country about the size of the state of Texas in the United States, has a population of almost 16 million people.

  • Niger, which also has the highest population growth rate estimate — 3.66% — for 2010, has a median population age of 15.2 years. Comparatively, Spain's median age is 41.5 years.
More Info: CIA World Factbook; Christian Science Monitor

Discuss this Article

Post your comments
Login:
Forgot password?
Register: