Canada’s fertility rate has hit a record low. What’s behind the drop?

Canada’s fertility rate, which has been steadily declining, has hit a record low and the country is now among the “lowest-low” fertility nations.

Statistics Canada released new data on Wednesday showing that the Canadian fertility rate in 2023 was 1.26 children per woman, which is the lowest recorded level since the agency began collecting data.

The record-low fertility rate was registered across the country in 10 of the 13 provinces and territories.

Fertility rate is an estimate of the average number of live births a woman can be expected to have in her reproductive life, according to StatCan.

In 2022, the fertility rate had already fallen to a record low of 1.33 children per woman. But that record has now been broken again.

“This decline from 2022 to 2023 mostly reflects an increase in the number of women of childbearing age in 2023, as the number of births was similar in both years,” StatCan said.

In total, 351,477 babies were born in Canada last year, which is similar to the number from 2022.

With the new data on fertility, Canada joins the group of “lowest-low” fertility countries that have a rate of 1.3 children per woman or less, StatCan said.

South Korea, Spain, Italy and Japan are other nations in this categorized group.

A StatCan report published in January said Canada, like other countries, is riding the “fertility ‘pandemic rollercoaster’” with more families putting off having children.

“Given the COVID-19 pandemic initiated a period of public health crisis, as well as economic and societal shocks, it is possible that a segment of the population responded to this period of widespread uncertainty via their childbearing choices,” it reads.

Experts also point to prolonged economic uncertainty, the high cost of living,