Fertility and women's labour force participation, 2024
Each point is one country: fertility rate across and women's labour force participation up, both for 2024. 181 countries have both values. A pattern shows that two measures go together; it does not show that one causes the other.
What the plot shows
- Across the 181 countries, higher values of fertility rate tend to go with higher values of women's labour force participation. The correlation is 0.01, a very weak or none relationship.
- Furthest above the overall pattern (a higher women's labour force participation than the pattern suggests): Madagascar, Solomon Islands, Nigeria.
- Furthest below it: Yemen, Afghanistan, Iraq.
The correlation runs from −1 to 1. It is calculated from the values in the table, on logarithms where an axis uses a logarithmic scale, and shows how closely the points follow a straight line, not cause and effect.
The chart loads when you scroll to it.
Colours show World Bank regions.
Values for 2024
| Country | Fertility rate | Women's labour force participation |
|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 4.76 births per woman | 5.1% |
| Albania | 1.34 births per woman | 58.2% |
| Algeria | 2.72 births per woman | 14.3% |
| Angola | 5.05 births per woman | 72.4% |
| Argentina | 1.50 births per woman | 52.3% |
| Armenia | 1.70 births per woman | 51.6% |
| Australia | 1.48 births per woman | 62.6% |
| Austria | 1.31 births per woman | 55.4% |
| Azerbaijan | 1.43 births per woman | 61.4% |
| Bahamas | 1.37 births per woman | 71.0% |
| Bahrain | 1.81 births per woman | 42.4% |
| Bangladesh | 2.14 births per woman | 38.7% |
| Barbados | 1.71 births per woman | 61.4% |
| Belarus | 1.22 births per woman | 57.2% |
| Belgium | 1.44 births per woman | 50.0% |
| Belize | 2.02 births per woman | 43.8% |
| Benin | 4.48 births per woman | 75.0% |
| Bhutan | 1.45 births per woman | 56.6% |
| Bolivia | 2.52 births per woman | 72.4% |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1.49 births per woman | 39.4% |
| Botswana | 2.70 births per woman | 63.5% |
| Brazil | 1.61 births per woman | 53.6% |
| Brunei | 1.73 births per woman | 54.7% |
| Bulgaria | 1.72 births per woman | 50.5% |
| Burkina Faso | 4.11 births per woman | 64.1% |
| Burundi | 4.79 births per woman | 79.7% |
| Cabo Verde | 1.51 births per woman | 50.4% |
| Cambodia | 2.55 births per woman | 77.3% |
| Cameroon | 4.26 births per woman | 57.1% |
| Canada | 1.25 births per woman | 60.4% |
| Central African Republic | 5.95 births per woman | 65.5% |
| Chad | 6.03 births per woman | 47.6% |
| Chile | 1.14 births per woman | 52.8% |
| China | 1.01 births per woman | 59.4% |
| Colombia | 1.63 births per woman | 51.7% |
| Comoros | 3.82 births per woman | 47.1% |
| Costa Rica | 1.32 births per woman | 46.0% |
| Croatia | 1.46 births per woman | 47.5% |
| Cuba | 1.45 births per woman | 40.4% |
| Cyprus | 1.38 births per woman | 61.4% |
| Czechia | 1.36 births per woman | 53.7% |
| Côte d'Ivoire | 4.23 births per woman | 59.5% |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | 5.98 births per woman | 61.9% |
| Denmark | 1.47 births per woman | 60.9% |
| Djibouti | 2.62 births per woman | 19.2% |
| Dominican Republic | 2.22 births per woman | 53.3% |
| Ecuador | 1.81 births per woman | 52.4% |
| Egypt | 2.74 births per woman | 18.5% |
| El Salvador | 1.77 births per woman | 49.0% |
| Equatorial Guinea | 4.12 births per woman | 53.0% |
| Eritrea | 3.68 births per woman | 72.9% |
| Estonia | 1.18 births per woman | 61.3% |
| Eswatini | 2.72 births per woman | 48.4% |
| Ethiopia | 3.91 births per woman | 58.4% |
| Fiji | 2.27 births per woman | 38.5% |
| Finland | 1.25 births per woman | 56.7% |
| France | 1.61 births per woman | 51.8% |
| French Polynesia | 1.49 births per woman | 47.0% |
| Gabon | 3.59 births per woman | 41.8% |
| Gambia | 3.91 births per woman | 45.4% |
| Georgia | 1.80 births per woman | 56.7% |
| Germany | 1.36 births per woman | 55.6% |
| Ghana | 3.34 births per woman | 55.7% |
| Greece | 1.24 births per woman | 45.0% |
| Guam | 2.75 births per woman | 56.5% |
| Guatemala | 2.29 births per woman | 38.4% |
| Guinea | 4.13 births per woman | 42.9% |
| Guinea-Bissau | 3.76 births per woman | 60.2% |
| Guyana | 2.40 births per woman | 47.4% |
| Haiti | 2.63 births per woman | 58.3% |
| Honduras | 2.48 births per woman | 39.6% |
| Hong Kong SAR, China | 0.84 births per woman | 52.3% |
| Hungary | 1.41 births per woman | 54.4% |
| Iceland | 1.56 births per woman | 70.3% |
| India | 1.96 births per woman | 32.4% |
| Indonesia | 2.12 births per woman | 53.6% |
| Iran | 1.68 births per woman | 14.1% |
| Iraq | 3.22 births per woman | 11.0% |
| Ireland | 1.47 births per woman | 59.8% |
| Israel | 2.87 births per woman | 62.2% |
| Italy | 1.18 births per woman | 41.0% |
| Jamaica | 1.35 births per woman | 62.9% |
| Japan | 1.15 births per woman | 55.6% |
| Jordan | 2.60 births per woman | 16.0% |
| Kazakhstan | 2.98 births per woman | 65.3% |
| Kenya | 3.17 births per woman | 63.0% |
| Kuwait | 1.56 births per woman | 47.3% |
| Kyrgyzstan | 2.60 births per woman | 44.3% |
| Laos | 2.40 births per woman | 61.5% |
| Latvia | 1.24 births per woman | 55.5% |
| Lesotho | 2.66 births per woman | 48.5% |
| Liberia | 3.86 births per woman | 72.0% |
| Libya | 2.30 births per woman | 33.3% |
| Lithuania | 1.11 births per woman | 57.9% |
| Luxembourg | 1.25 births per woman | 57.6% |
| Macao SAR, China | 0.58 births per woman | 63.5% |
| Madagascar | 3.91 births per woman | 82.9% |
| Malawi | 3.59 births per woman | 58.5% |
| Malaysia | 1.54 births per woman | 51.6% |
| Maldives | 1.56 births per woman | 40.5% |
| Mali | 5.51 births per woman | 53.1% |
| Malta | 1.01 births per woman | 55.9% |
| Mauritania | 4.63 births per woman | 26.2% |
| Mauritius | 1.44 births per woman | 47.5% |
| Mexico | 1.89 births per woman | 47.4% |
| Moldova | 1.73 births per woman | 72.2% |
| Mongolia | 2.50 births per woman | 52.1% |
| Montenegro | 1.80 births per woman | 51.4% |
| Morocco | 2.21 births per woman | 19.8% |
| Mozambique | 4.69 births per woman | 77.2% |
| Myanmar | 2.10 births per woman | 41.0% |
| Namibia | 3.21 births per woman | 54.9% |
| Nepal | 1.96 births per woman | 27.4% |
| Netherlands | 1.43 births per woman | 62.9% |
| New Caledonia | 1.96 births per woman | 51.6% |
| New Zealand | 1.57 births per woman | 66.3% |
| Nicaragua | 2.21 births per woman | 51.1% |
| Niger | 5.94 births per woman | 72.8% |
| Nigeria | 4.38 births per woman | 80.7% |
| North Korea | 1.78 births per woman | 77.7% |
| North Macedonia | 1.40 births per woman | 42.9% |
| Norway | 1.45 births per woman | 62.3% |
| Oman | 2.51 births per woman | 30.1% |
| Pakistan | 3.55 births per woman | 24.0% |
| Panama | 2.11 births per woman | 54.8% |
| Papua New Guinea | 3.07 births per woman | 50.7% |
| Paraguay | 2.42 births per woman | 58.9% |
| Peru | 1.97 births per woman | 64.9% |
| Philippines | 1.89 births per woman | 50.5% |
| Poland | 1.14 births per woman | 51.9% |
| Portugal | 1.41 births per woman | 54.9% |
| Puerto Rico (US) | 0.92 births per woman | 36.7% |
| Qatar | 1.72 births per woman | 61.8% |
| Republic of the Congo | 4.11 births per woman | 65.6% |
| Romania | 1.39 births per woman | 41.9% |
| Russia | 1.42 births per woman | 55.2% |
| Rwanda | 3.65 births per woman | 57.1% |
| Saint Lucia | 1.39 births per woman | 61.9% |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 1.76 births per woman | 59.3% |
| Samoa | 3.80 births per woman | 31.1% |
| Saudi Arabia | 2.31 births per woman | 33.3% |
| Senegal | 3.77 births per woman | 38.0% |
| Serbia | 1.64 births per woman | 52.6% |
| Sierra Leone | 3.70 births per woman | 51.8% |
| Singapore | 0.97 births per woman | 63.1% |
| Slovakia | 1.46 births per woman | 55.5% |
| Slovenia | 1.52 births per woman | 52.6% |
| Solomon Islands | 3.51 births per woman | 82.3% |
| Somalia, Fed. Rep. | 6.01 births per woman | 20.7% |
| South Africa | 2.21 births per woman | 49.8% |
| South Korea | 0.75 births per woman | 56.8% |
| Spain | 1.10 births per woman | 53.2% |
| Sri Lanka | 1.95 births per woman | 31.0% |
| Suriname | 2.23 births per woman | 44.9% |
| Sweden | 1.43 births per woman | 61.7% |
| Switzerland | 1.29 births per woman | 62.5% |
| Syria | 2.70 births per woman | 12.8% |
| São Tomé and Príncipe | 3.60 births per woman | 22.8% |
| Tajikistan | 3.04 births per woman | 21.9% |
| Tanzania | 4.54 births per woman | 80.3% |
| Thailand | 1.20 births per woman | 59.5% |
| Timor-Leste | 2.63 births per woman | 61.5% |
| Togo | 4.12 births per woman | 56.6% |
| Tonga | 3.10 births per woman | 42.5% |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 1.54 births per woman | 48.1% |
| Tunisia | 1.82 births per woman | 26.6% |
| Turkmenistan | 2.66 births per woman | 38.4% |
| Türkiye | 1.48 births per woman | 36.8% |
| US Virgin Islands | 1.97 births per woman | 52.8% |
| Uganda | 4.17 births per woman | 75.6% |
| United Arab Emirates | 1.21 births per woman | 52.5% |
| United Kingdom | 1.55 births per woman | 57.5% |
| United States | 1.63 births per woman | 56.6% |
| Uruguay | 1.40 births per woman | 57.3% |
| Uzbekistan | 3.49 births per woman | 41.3% |
| Vanuatu | 3.57 births per woman | 53.5% |
| Venezuela | 2.08 births per woman | 37.3% |
| Viet Nam | 1.90 births per woman | 68.9% |
| Yemen | 4.50 births per woman | 4.7% |
| Zambia | 4.04 births per woman | 56.4% |
| Zimbabwe | 3.67 births per woman | 62.1% |
Fertility rate (UN estimates)
The number of children a woman would have over her lifetime if she experienced the current age-specific fertility rates.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators, original data: United Nations Population Division, World Population Prospects
Labour force participation rate of women (ILO modelled estimates)
Women aged 15 and over who are employed or looking for work, as a share of all women of that age, from the ILO modelled estimates. Values for the current and following years are ILO projections.
Source: ILO, ILOSTAT (ILO Modelled Estimates), original data: International Labour Organization, ILO Modelled Estimates