Canada recorded its lowest ever fertility rate for the second year in a row in 2023, according to Statistics Canada.
The country recorded a rate of 1.26 children born per woman, according to the agency, with British Columbia having the nation’s lowest fertility rate at one child per woman.
While the number of births stayed stable compared to 2022, at around 350,000, Statistics Canada says the lower fertility rate is due to the increase in the number of women of childbearing age living in the country in 2023.
“Canada has now joined the group of ‘lowest-low’ fertility countries, including South Korea, Spain, Italy and Japan, with 1.3 children per woman or less,” the agency said in a Wednesday statement. “In comparison, the total fertility rate for the United States was 1.62 per woman in 2023.”
Ten of the 13 provinces and territories had their lowest birth rates on record, according to …