Quebec women are having fewer kids – and having them later in life

A study by a Concordia University professor says Canadian medical guidelines on pregnancy can stigmatize women who choose to have children later in life. (Source: Kristina Paukshtite/Pexels)

Quebec’s fertility rate fell to 1.33 children per woman in 2024, the lowest ever recorded in the province, according to a new report released by Quebec’s statistics institute, the Institut de la statistique du Québec (ISQ).

The provincial average, however, also shows sharp regional differences in fertility, maternal age, and family patterns, highlighting a growing urban‑rural divide.

Fertility trends across the province

Montreal registered the lowest fertility in Quebec at just 1.11 children per woman, while Northern Quebec remains the only region above the population-replacement level, at 2.28 children per woman.

Other regions vary widely. Chaudière-Appalaches, for example, recorded among the highest fertility outside the North, at about 1.65 children per woman, the Laurentians at 1.45, and the Monteregie at 1.48.

Mothers having children later

The report shows that women in Quebec are increasingly having children at a later age.

In Montreal, the average maternal age reached 33.1 years in 2024, the highest in the province.

Surrounding urban regions, including Laval, Monteregie, and the Quebec City region, also show a trend toward later motherhood, with most births occurring after age 30.

In rural and remote regions, however, particularly in Northern Quebec, many women continue to have children at younger ages, with a notable amount of births under age 25.