Mothers welcome babies into the world every day in Canada. In 2022, 351,679 live births were counted across the country. Ontario (134,681 live births) was the province that had the most babies born in 2022, followed by Quebec (80,503) and Alberta (47,475).
Let’s take a look at recent trends in fertility among women in Canada.
The total fertility rate refers to the number of children that a woman would be expected to have over the course of her reproductive life based on current fertility levels.
The decrease in the total fertility rate from 2021 to 2022 (-7.4%) was the largest decrease since 1971 to 1972 (-7.6%), at the height of the “baby bust” that followed the baby boom (1946 to 1965). Indeed, the five lowest values of fertility rates over the period from 1921 to 2022 were recorded in the last five years.
Although fertility rates have been generally declining since 2009, the trend intensified from 2021 to 2022.
In times of greater uncertainty, people may be more reluctant to make a major life change like having a(nother) child. In 2021, close to one-quarter (24%) of individuals aged 15 to 49 years changed their fertility plans because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The most common change to fertility plans was to delay having children—14% of individuals of childbearing age indicated that, because of the pandemic, they wanted to have a child later than previously planned.
Canada is among the late-childbearing countries, with the average age of mothers at the time of delivery being 31.6 years in 2022, up from 31.4 years in 2021. The average age of mothers at childbirth has been increasing steadily for nearly five decades. Almost 50 years ago, in 1976, the average age of mothers at the time of delivery was 26.7 years.
The recent decline in Canada’s fertility rate has brought the country very close to joining the group of “ultra-low” fertility countries (1.3 or fewer children per woman)—a situation associated with rapid population aging and increased stress on the labour market, public health care and pension systems.
For more information about changing fertility rates in Canada, check out the study: Fertility in Canada, 1921 to 2022.
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