Does your birthday rank the same in five countries?
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- 5national seriescounted separately
- 2007–2014matched window2,922 days in each
- 5 of 5different most-common datesacross the five series
- September 10most common in the U.S. herematched window
A birthday ranking is usually computed for one country over one period and then quoted as if it held everywhere. Over the eight years 2007–2014, which all five of these series cover completely, the most common date differs between countries, and a date that is quiet in one is ordinary in another.
What is being compared
Each series is counted on its own, because the countries differ in population, registration rules and geography. The comparison uses births per occurrence, because the matched window contains two February 29s and eight of every other date; a raw total would make leap day look rare by arithmetic alone. The index below sets each country's own average day to 100.
| Series | Recorded births | Days counted | |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 32,930,132 | 2,922 | |
| England & Wales | 5,675,469 | 2,922 | |
| Denmark | 485,006 | 2,922 | |
| Metropolitan France | 6,323,747 | 2,922 | |
| Malaysia | 4,197,822 | 2,922 |
Each country also has its own full ranking of all 366 dates on its own recent window: United States, England & Wales, Denmark, France, Malaysia. Only this page puts them side by side, and only inside the matched window.
Months, country by country
Each series on its own index (100 = that country’s average day in the window), month by month, so the five can be read side by side.
United States: births per day by month, 2007–2014, index (100 = average day)
Twelve points, January to December, births per day indexed to United States’s own average day.
England & Wales: births per day by month, 2007–2014, index (100 = average day)
Twelve points, January to December, births per day indexed to England & Wales’s own average day.
Denmark: births per day by month, 2007–2014, index (100 = average day)
Twelve points, January to December, births per day indexed to Denmark’s own average day.
Metropolitan France: births per day by month, 2007–2014, index (100 = average day)
Twelve points, January to December, births per day indexed to Metropolitan France’s own average day.
Malaysia: births per day by month, 2007–2014, index (100 = average day)
Twelve points, January to December, births per day indexed to Malaysia’s own average day.
The most common date differs by country
United States
Most common: September 10 at 117.0 on this country's index. Quietest: December 25 at 56.4.
| Date | Births per occurrence | Index (100 = average day) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 10 | 13,186 | 117.0 | |
| September 17 | 13,056 | 115.9 | |
| July 2 | 12,796 | 113.5 | |
| September 24 | 12,791 | 113.5 | |
| August 20 | 12,732 | 113.0 | |
| December 25 | 6,355 | 56.4 | |
| January 1 | 7,599 | 67.4 | |
| December 24 | 8,217 | 72.9 | |
| July 4 | 8,681 | 77.0 | |
| November 27 | 9,677 | 85.9 |
CDC/NCHS and SSA daily counts (SSA covers 2007–2014).
England & Wales
Most common: October 1 at 111.1 on this country's index. Quietest: December 26 at 76.6.
| Date | Births per occurrence | Index (100 = average day) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 1 | 2,157 | 111.1 | |
| September 24 | 2,155 | 110.9 | |
| September 26 | 2,113 | 108.8 | |
| September 25 | 2,108 | 108.5 | |
| September 19 | 2,104 | 108.3 | |
| December 26 | 1,487 | 76.6 | |
| December 25 | 1,564 | 80.5 | |
| January 1 | 1,686 | 86.8 | |
| December 27 | 1,752 | 90.2 | |
| April 13 | 1,805 | 92.9 |
ONS daily births, Table 12.
Denmark
Most common: August 6 at 117.0 on this country's index. Quietest: December 24 at 68.5.
| Date | Births per occurrence | Index (100 = average day) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 6 | 194 | 117.0 | |
| June 4 | 193 | 116.1 | |
| July 18 | 192 | 115.5 | |
| September 24 | 191 | 115.0 | |
| July 16 | 189 | 113.9 | |
| December 24 | 114 | 68.5 | |
| December 25 | 115 | 69.4 | |
| January 1 | 121 | 73.1 | |
| December 26 | 126 | 75.8 | |
| December 31 | 134 | 80.6 |
Statistics Denmark FODDAG daily live births.
Metropolitan France
Most common: September 24 at 111.0 on this country's index. Quietest: December 25 at 78.7.
| Date | Births per occurrence | Index (100 = average day) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 24 | 2,402 | 111.0 | |
| October 1 | 2,384 | 110.2 | |
| September 17 | 2,375 | 109.7 | |
| September 25 | 2,344 | 108.3 | |
| July 16 | 2,343 | 108.3 | |
| December 25 | 1,703 | 78.7 | |
| January 1 | 1,740 | 80.4 | |
| November 1 | 1,852 | 85.6 | |
| May 1 | 1,911 | 88.3 | |
| July 14 | 1,944 | 89.8 |
INSEE T79jnais, metropolitan France only.
Malaysia
Most common: November 11 at 116.1 on this country's index. Quietest: May 1 at 89.3.
| Date | Births per occurrence | Index (100 = average day) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 11 | 1,668 | 116.1 | |
| September 9 | 1,646 | 114.6 | |
| October 10 | 1,625 | 113.1 | |
| September 3 | 1,591 | 110.7 | |
| September 19 | 1,584 | 110.2 | |
| May 1 | 1,282 | 89.3 | |
| January 24 | 1,282 | 89.3 | |
| December 25 | 1,289 | 89.7 | |
| February 3 | 1,300 | 90.5 | |
| January 26 | 1,304 | 90.8 |
JPN registrations by date of birth, published by data.gov.my.
How far a single date can move
| Date | United States | England & Wales | Denmark | Metropolitan France | Malaysia | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 9 | #11 | #39 | #66 | #89 | #2 | |
| December 25 | #366 | #365 | #365 | #366 | #364 | |
| January 1 | #365 | #364 | #364 | #365 | #304 | |
| July 4 | #363 | #73 | #9 | #104 | #211 | |
| February 29 | #162 | #61 | #351 | #341 | #352 | |
| September 4 | #24 | #63 | #62 | #148 | #25 |
The July 4 and Thanksgiving-week dips are American. December 25 is quiet in all five. The summer peak comes at a different point in each country. A "rarest birthday" claim needs a country and a period attached.
Kept separate on purpose
Malaysia is one more independently counted national series: the file is published openly by data.gov.my and anyone can download it. Its registration base differs from the European series, so it is compared on its own index.
Denmark's living-population snapshot, France's recent whole-country series (2025 onward, which includes overseas departments) and the metropolitan France history used here describe three different things, and each stays its own series. The metropolitan series is used because its geography is stable across the matched years.
Check your own birthday → · Explore each country's calendar
Sources, method and limits
United States: CDC/NCHS and SSA daily counts via FiveThirtyEight (CC BY 4.0). England & Wales: ONS daily births, Table 12. Denmark: Statistics Denmark FODDAG. Metropolitan France: INSEE T79jnais. Malaysia: National Registration Department daily live births published by data.gov.my (CC BY 4.0), counted by date of birth. Each series was checked for complete year coverage across 2007–2014 before use; 2,922 days per country.
Every figure above comes from the administrative records named here, at the granularity those records publish: a day, a month or a year. Coverage and definitions differ between countries and eras, so two sources are combined only where their documentation states the windows are separate, and the page where that happens says so.
Full method, leap-day treatment and definitions.
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