Of the large, western countries, Spain has the lowest birth rate at 1.32 children per woman. For countries overall, Macau, which borders China, has the lowest rate of less than 1 child per woman. Hong Kong has the second overall lowest rate of 1.04 children per woman.
More Reproducing Facts:
- In 1970, Spain's fertility rate was 2.9 children per woman. One of the reasons for the overall decrease is the number of years a student must spend in school to be considered for a "good" job. Employers in Spain value a college bachelor's degree less and less, requiring students to spend more years earning master's degrees and doctorate degrees instead of getting married and starting a family.
- The country with the highest birth rate is Niger in West Africa where 7.68 children per woman are born, on average. Niger, a country about the size of the state of Texas in the United States, has a population of almost 16 million people.
- Niger, which also has the highest population growth rate estimate — 3.66% — for 2010, has a median population age of 15.2 years. Comparatively, Spain's median age is 41.5 years.