Statistics Canada says Canada’s fertility rate in 2025 remained virtually unchanged from 2024 at 1.26 children per woman, the lowest on record.
The Story
Statistics Canada reports that Canada’s fertility rate in 2025 remained at the all-time low last seen in 2024, edging only virtually unchanged to 1.26 children per woman. The figure continues a longer downward trend that has been visible internationally since around 2009, with StatCan noting Canada ranks in the bottom seven among 20 high-income countries.
StatCan also highlights that the average age of mothers giving birth has continued to rise, reaching a new high of 31.9 years. The agency says this increase has been occurring for decades, including rising from 26.7 years in 1976 to the current level.
Alongside timing of births, the report examines where births occur. StatCan says the number of women giving birth at home has returned to pre-pandemic levels seen in 2019, after peaking in 2021.
In 2021, StatCan says more than 9,000 babies were born outside of hospitals. The agency attributes the peak to families choosing home births during the pandemic to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
StatCan reports that last year the number of non-hospital births returned to around 7,000, bringing the pattern back closer to what was recorded prior to the pandemic spike. Together, the fertility and maternity-age figures point to continued demographic shifts, while the home-birth data provides a measure of how birthing practices changed during COVID-19 and then stabilized afterward.
← More stories