The fertility rate for Canadian women fell substantially in the past 20 years compared to that of American women, Statistics Canada said Wednesday.

In previous surveys, Canadian and American women said they intended to have the same number of children – 2.2 on average. But Canada's growth rate is now only about three-quarters of the growth rate south of the border.

The report is based on data from both countries and the results of fertility surveys in Canada and the United States that were conducted in 1995.

Many Canadian women are putting off starting a family
Many Canadian women are putting off starting a family

The results suggest young American women have maintained relatively high fertility levels but their Canadian counterparts have not.

Most of the difference is attributed to the declining fertility of Canadian women aged 20 to 29, according to the Report on the demographic situation in Canada.

"From 1979 to 1999, the fertility of Canadian women aged 20 to 24 decreased nearly 40 per cent and fertility among those aged 25 to 29 declined about 25 per cent. In the United States, fertility rates among women in these age groups remained relatively stable," the agency said.

The report suggested several possible reasons for the fertility gap:

  • Canadian women are putting off having children until later in life, which can lower the number of children in a family
  • Canadians tend to use better contraceptive methods – more than eight in 10 Canadians opt for birth control pills but only one in six American women do
  • Higher unemployment rates for young Canadians may prompt them to delay forming a couple or having children
Canada's low birth rates mean that immigration has become the main contributor to population growth.

In 1999, Canada's population growth rate was 8.6 per 1,000, compared with 12.3 in the United States.

At present levels, deaths are expected to exceed births in Canada in about 20 to 25 years. Population projections in the U.S. suggest births will continue to exceed deaths for the next 50 years.