In recent decades, women’s family and fertility patterns in Canada have shifted dramatically, influenced by higher education, increased workforce participation, changing norms, and widespread contraception.
Canada enters an era of ultra-low fertility
The term "ultra-low fertility" is commonly used to describe a total fertility rate below 1.30 children per woman.
In 2024, Canada entered the ranks of countries with ultra-low fertility as it reached a record low fertility rate of 1.25 children per woman. The decrease in fertility was driven by fewer births as well as a growing share of women who are choosing to remain childless, delaying motherhood or facing barriers to having children.
In 2024, the average age of mothers at the birth of their child reached a record high of 31.8 years, up from 26.7 years in 1976.
Over half of Canadian women aged 20 to 49 years are childless
The 2024 Survey on Family Transitions examined these trends and their implications, finding that just over half (51.5%) of Canadian women aged 20 to 49 years have no children.
Childlessness was highest among younger women in their 20s, at 88.5%, followed by women in their 30s (43.2%) and 40s (23.6%).
How births in Canada are changing depending on mothers’ place of birth
The total number of births in Canada would have declined since 2010 without the contribution of foreign-born mothers. In 2024, more than two in five newborns (42.3%) in Canada had a foreign-born mother (i.e., a mother who was born outside Canada), a proportion that has nearly doubled in just over one-quarter of a century (22.5% in 1997).
Correction
On July 3, 2026, a correction was made to the article, to reflect the average age of mothers at the birth of their child.
Contact information
For more information, contact the Statistical Information Service (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).