The fertility rate of a country is the average number of children that women from that country will have throughout their reproductive years. Between 1800 and 1830, Belgium's fertility rate dropped from 4.9 to 4.7 children per woman, before increasing to five children per woman in the decade following Belgium's independence in 1831, and then dropping again to 4.3 in 1855. After rising to 4.9 in 1875, the fertility rate then dropped in a very consistent gradient, reaching just below two in 1945. In contrast to the fertility rates of the neighboring France and Netherlands, this data shows that Belgium did not experience an increase after the First World War, despite being heavily involved. Belgium did however experience a baby boom following the Second World War, where the fertility rate increased to 2.7 in the late 1960s, before dropping to 1.6 in 1990, and it has remained between this number and 1.8 over the last thirty years.
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United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), & Gapminder. (June 17, 2019). Total fertility rate in Belgium from 1800 to 2020* [Graph]. In ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ. Retrieved July 24, 2026, from /statistics/1033487/fertility-rate-belgium-1800-2020/
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), und Gapminder. "Total fertility rate in Belgium from 1800 to 2020*." Chart. June 17, 2019. ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ. Accessed July 24, 2026. /statistics/1033487/fertility-rate-belgium-1800-2020/
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), Gapminder. (2019). Total fertility rate in Belgium from 1800 to 2020*. ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ. ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ Inc.. Accessed: July 24, 2026. /statistics/1033487/fertility-rate-belgium-1800-2020/
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), and Gapminder. "Total Fertility Rate in Belgium from 1800 to 2020*." ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ, ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ Inc., 17 Jun 2019, /statistics/1033487/fertility-rate-belgium-1800-2020/
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) & Gapminder, Total fertility rate in Belgium from 1800 to 2020* ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ, /statistics/1033487/fertility-rate-belgium-1800-2020/ (last visited July 24, 2026)
Total fertility rate in Belgium from 1800 to 2020* [Graph], United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), & Gapminder, June 17, 2019. [Online]. Available: /statistics/1033487/fertility-rate-belgium-1800-2020/