Study title

Fertility Preferences: Global Data 1936-2023

Alternative Title

Global Fertility Preferences Database (GFPD)

Dataset ID Number

FSD4032

Persistent identifiers

https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD4032
https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd4032

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Stone, Lyman (McGill University)
• Golovina, Kateryna (Family Federation of Finland. Population Research Institute)
• Bastionelli, Elena (Bocconi University)

Abstract

The material is compiled from survey data collected worldwide between 1936 and 2023. Surveys have been used to collect information on respondents' fertility preferences and the type of preferences they have. The data does not contain information on individual respondents, but rather the average number of children respondents wish to have, and descriptive information related to the surveys.

The main sources of information have been World Values Survey (WVS), European Values Study (EVS), International Social Survey Programme (ISSP), Eurobarometer (EB), Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), and Generation and Gender Surveys (GGS). In addition, data has been collected from country-specific studies, such as Family Barometer (Finland) and National Fertility Survey (Japan). The data includes several indicators of fertility preferences, such as the general and personal ideal number of children, the intended number of children, the desired number of children, the expected number of children, and the wanted number of children.

Background variables for each survey include the country of collection, year of collection, sample size, gender of respondents, and age group of respondents.

Keywords

expectation; families; family planning; family size; norms

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Reproductive health (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Social behaviour and attitudes (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

Individual datasets

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

The dataset is (B) available for research, teaching and study.

Data Collector

• Family Federation of Finland. Population Research Institute

Funders

• European Union (101094741)
• Fonds de recherche du Quebec (331729)

Time Period Covered

1936 – 2023

Collection Dates

2018-01-01 – 2025-10-31

Nation

United Arab Emirates, Antigua and Barbuda, Albania, Armenia, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bangladesh, Belgium, Burkina Faso, Bulgaria, Benin, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Brazil, Bahamas, Bhutan, Botswana, Belarus, Belize, Canada, Congo, Switzerland, Côte d'Ivoire, Chile, Cameroon, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cabo Verde, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Algeria, Ecuador, Estonia, Egypt, Eritrea, Spain, Ethiopia, Finland, Fiji, France, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Georgia, Ghana, Gambia, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Croatia, Haiti, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iceland, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Japan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, Korea (Republic of), Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Luxembourg, Latvia, Morocco, Monaco, Madagascar, Mali, Myanmar, Mongolia, Mauritania, Mauritius, Maldives, Malawi, Mexico, Malaysia, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Netherlands, Norway, Nepal, New Zealand, Peru, Philippines, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Solomon Islands, Serbia, Sudan, Sweden, Singapore, Slovenia, Slovakia, Senegal, Togo, Thailand, Tunisia, Tonga, Türkiye, Trinidad and Tobago, Taiwan (Province of China), United Republic of Tanzania, Ukraine, Uganda, United States of America, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Viet Nam, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, El Salvador, Eswatini, Gabon, Guinea, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iraq, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lesotho, Liberia, Lithuania, Malta, Marshall Islands, Moldova (Republic of), Montenegro, Namibia, Nauru, Nicaragua, Oman, Palestine, State of, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Yemen

Geographical Coverage

United Arab Emirates, Antigua and Barbuda, Albania, Armenia, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bangladesh, Belgium, Burkina Faso, Bulgaria, Benin, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Brazil, Bahamas, Bhutan, Botswana, Belarus, Belize, Canada, Congo, Switzerland, Côte d'Ivoire, Chile, Cameroon, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cabo Verde, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Algeria, Ecuador, Estonia, Egypt, Eritrea, Spain, Ethiopia, Finland, Fiji, France, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Georgia, Ghana, Gambia, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Croatia, Haiti, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iceland, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Japan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, Korea (Republic of), Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Luxembourg, Latvia, Morocco, Monaco, Madagascar, Mali, Myanmar, Mongolia, Mauritania, Mauritius, Maldives, Malawi, Mexico, Malaysia, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Netherlands, Norway, Nepal, New Zealand, Peru, Philippines, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Solomon Islands, Serbia, Sudan, Sweden, Singapore, Slovenia, Slovakia, Senegal, Togo, Thailand, Tunisia, Tonga, Türkiye, Trinidad and Tobago, Taiwan (Province of China), United Republic of Tanzania, Ukraine, Uganda, United States of America, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Viet Nam, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, El Salvador, Eswatini, Gabon, Guinea, Honduras, Hong Kong, Iraq, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lesotho, Liberia, Lithuania, Malta, Marshall Islands, Moldova (Republic of), Montenegro, Namibia, Nauru, Nicaragua, Oman, Palestine, State of, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Yemen

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Other analysis unit (Survey)

Universe

Surveys collected from around the world, assessing respondents' fertility preferences

Time Method

Longitudinal: Trend/Repeated cross-section

Data Sources

Survey data compiled from various sources

Sampling Procedure

Non-probability: Purposive

Collection Mode

Aggregation

Compilation/Synthesis

Research Instrument

Data collection guidelines: Secondary data collection guide

Data File Language

Downloaded data package may contain different language versions of the same files.

The data files of this dataset are available in the following languages: English.

FSD translates quantitative data into English on request, free of charge. More information on ordering data translation.

Number of Cases and Variables

23 variables and 1701 cases.

Data Version

1.0

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

When the original survey data were available, fertility preference indicators were recalculated from the original data using the provided survey weights where applicable. For many cases, particularly the older surveys, original data were not publicly available or no longer exist. In such cases, this archived data set includes published mean estimates from those surveys.

Weighting

There are no weight variables in the data.

Citation Requirement

The data and its creators shall be cited in all publications and presentations for which the data have been used. The bibliographic citation may be in the form suggested by the archive or in the form required by the publication.

Bibliographical Citation

Stone, Lyman (McGill University) & Golovina, Kateryna (Family Federation of Finland) & Bastionelli, Elena (Bocconi University): Fertility Preferences: Global Data 1936-2023 [dataset]. Data version 1.0 (2026-02-05). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. DOI: https://doi.org/10.60686/t-fsd4032; URN: https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD4032

Deposit Requirement

Notify FSD of all publications where you have used the data by sending the citation information to user-services.fsd@tuni.fi.

Disclaimer

The original data creators and the archive bear no responsibility for any results or interpretations arising from the reuse of the data.

FSD has not been informed of any publications related to the data.