Canada’s Fertility Rate Holds at Record-Low 1.26 Children per Woman
In this article & details
Canada’s total fertility rate remained at 1.26 children per woman in 2025, matching the all-time low recorded the previous year, according to new data from Statistics Canada.
A long decline has levelled off—for now
Statistics Canada’s September 23 release says the broad decline began in 2009 and accelerated between 2017 and 2023. After a smaller reduction in 2024, the national rate was unchanged in 2025. A single year of stability does not establish that the longer trend has reversed.
Eight provinces and territories recorded their lowest total fertility rates on record in 2025: Nunavut, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, the Northwest Territories, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia and Yukon. Yukon had the country’s lowest rate at 1.02, while Nunavut remained highest at 2.40.
Parents are older on average
The average age of mothers at childbirth reached 31.9 years in 2025, a new high. It has risen steadily from 26.7 years in 1976. Statistics Canada notes that Canada had the seventh-lowest fertility rate among 20 selected high-income countries in 2025.
The total fertility rate is a population measure based on age-specific fertility rates in a given year. It does not predict an individual’s fertility, explain why people do or do not have children, or measure the success of fertility treatment. Economic conditions, partnership patterns, health, personal choice and access to services may all shape reproductive decisions, but the new release does not assign causes.
Why this matters in pharmacy practice
Pharmacists often meet people at key reproductive-health moments: contraception decisions, pregnancy planning, medication optimization before conception, prenatal supplementation and questions about fertility treatment. A low population fertility rate should not lead to assumptions about any patient’s intentions.
The practical response is to make reproductive counselling easy to access, inclusive and non-directive. Medication reviews before conception can identify teratogenic risks, optimize chronic-disease control and confirm appropriate folic-acid supplementation. Patients who are concerned about fertility should be directed to timely primary-care or specialist assessment based on age, history and clinical circumstances.
Practice guidance for pharmacists
- Ask permission before discussing pregnancy intentions and avoid assuming that patients want—or do not want—children.
- Offer preconception medication reviews that include prescriptions, non-prescription products, supplements, substance use and vaccination status.
- Identify therapies requiring contraception, washout, substitution or specialist planning before conception; coordinate changes rather than advising abrupt discontinuation.
- Provide evidence-based prenatal supplementation advice and reinforce management of chronic conditions before and during pregnancy.
- Explain that national fertility statistics describe populations, not an individual’s fertility, and refer clinical concerns for appropriate assessment.
