In 2024, the fertility rate in Africa was *** children per woman. The average number of newborn infants per woman on the continent decreased compared to 2000, when women had approximately **** children throughout their reproductive years. By 2030, fertility in Africa is projected to decline to around *** births per woman, yet it will remain high. The highest fertility rate worldwide Despite its gradually declining rate, fertility in Africa is the highest in the world. In 2023, the average fertility rate on the continent stood at **** children per woman, compared to a global average of **** births per woman. In contrast, Europe and North America were the continents with the lowest proportion of newborns, each registering a fertility rate below two children per woman. Additionally, Africa records the highest fertility rate among the young female population aged 15 to 19 years. In 2022, West and Central Africa had an adolescent fertility rate of nearly *** children per 1,000 girls, the highest value worldwide. Lower fertility in Northern Africa Fertility levels vary significantly across Africa. In 2023, Somalia, Chad, Niger, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Central African Republic were the countries with the highest fertility rates on the continent. In those countries, women had an average of over *** children in their reproductive years. The number of adolescent girls giving birth also differed within Africa. For instance, the adolescent fertility rate in North Africa stood at around **** children per 1,000 young women in 2023. On the other hand, Sub-Saharan Africa registered a higher rate of approximately **** children per 1,000 girls as of the same year. In general, higher poverty levels, inadequate social and health conditions, and increased infant mortality are some main drivers of higher fertility rates.

Somalia was the African country with the highest fertility rate in 2023. There, each woman had an average of around 6.1 children in her reproductive years. Fertility levels in Africa remain high despite a steady decline The fertility rate in Africa has gradually decreased since 2000 and is projected to decline further in the coming years. Factors including improved socio-economic conditions and educational opportunities, lower infant mortality, and decreasing poverty levels have driven the declining birth rate on the continent. Nevertheless, Africa remains the continent with the highest fertility rate worldwide. As of 2023, women in Africa had an average of 4.07 children in their reproductive years. Africa was the only continent registering a fertility rate higher than the global average, which was set at 2.4 children per woman. Worldwide, the continent also had the highest adolescent fertility rate as of 2022, with West and Central Africa leading with 105 births per 1,000 girls aged 15 to 19 years. Africa’s population keeps growing According to projections, over 46 million births will be registered in Africa in 2023. Contrary to the declining fertility rate, the absolute number of births on the continent will continue to grow in the coming years to reach around 49.4 million by 2030. In general, Africa’s population – amounting to over 1.48 billion inhabitants as of 2023 – is forecast to increase considerably and achieve 2.5 billion in 2050. Countries such as Niger, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea are key drivers of population growth in Africa, registering the highest average population growth rate on the continent between 2020 and 2025. For instance, in that period, Niger’s population was forecast to expand by 3.7 percent each year.

The total fertility rate of the world has dropped from around 5 children per woman in 1950, to 2.2 children per woman in 2025, which means that women today are having fewer than half the number of children that women did 75 years ago. Replacement level fertility This change has come as a result of the global demographic transition, and is influenced by factors such as the significant reduction in infant and child mortality, reduced number of child marriages, increased educational and vocational opportunities for women, and the increased efficacy and availability of contraception. While this change has become synonymous with societal progress, it does have wide-reaching demographic impact - if the global average falls below replacement level (roughly 2.1 children per woman), as is expected to happen in the 2050s, then this will lead to long-term population decline on a global scale. Regional variations When broken down by continent, Africa is the only region with a fertility rate above the global average, and, alongside Oceania, it is the only region with a fertility rate above replacement level. Until the 1980s, the average woman in Africa could expect to have 6-7 children over the course of their lifetime, and there are still several countries in Africa where women can still expect to have 5 or more children in 2025. Historically, Europe has had the lowest fertility rates in the world over the past century, falling below replacement level in 1975. Europe's population has grown through a combination of migration and increasing life expectancy, however even high immigration rates could not prevent its population from going into decline in 2021.

Historical chart and dataset showing Africa fertility rate by year from 1950 to 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Crude Birth Rate for Developing Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SPDYNCBRTINSSA) from 1960 to 2023 about Sub-Saharan Africa, birth, crude, and rate.

For most of the past two centuries, falling birth rates have been associated with societal progress. During the demographic transition, where pre-industrial societies modernize in terms of fertility and mortality, falling death rates, especially among infants and children, are the first major change. In response, as more children survive into adulthood, women have fewer children as the need to compensate for child mortality declines. This transition has happened at different times across the world and is an ongoing process, with early industrial countries being the first to transition, and Sub-Saharan African countries being the most recent to do so. Additionally, some Asian countries (particularly China through government policy) have gone through their demographic transitions at a much faster pace than those deemed more developed. Today, in countries such as Japan, Italy, and Germany, birth rates have fallen well below death rates; this is no longer considered a positive demographic trend, as it leads to natural population decline, and may create an over-aged population that could place a burden on healthcare systems.

Central African Republic CF: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data was reported at 46.358 Ratio in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 45.425 Ratio for 2022. Central African Republic CF: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 43.659 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2023, with 64 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 47.905 Ratio in 1987 and a record low of 41.407 Ratio in 2002. Central African Republic CF: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Central African Republic – Table CF.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Crude birth rate indicates the number of live births occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear. Subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate provides the rate of natural increase, which is equal to the rate of population change in the absence of migration.;(1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2024 Revision; (2) Statistical databases and publications from national statistical offices; (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics; (4) United Nations Statistics Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years).;Weighted average;

The average for 2022 based on 195 countries was 18.38 births per 1000 people. The highest value was in Niger: 45.03 births per 1000 people and the lowest value was in Hong Kong: 4.4 births per 1000 people. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2022. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

Graph and download economic data for Adolescent Fertility Rate for South Africa (SPADOTFRTZAF) from 1960 to 2023 about 15 to 19 years, fertility, South Africa, and rate.

South Africa ZA: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data was reported at 2.458 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 2.485 Ratio for 2015. South Africa ZA: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data is updated yearly, averaging 3.924 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 6.041 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 2.458 Ratio in 2016. South Africa ZA: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Total fertility rate represents the number of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her childbearing years and bear children in accordance with age-specific fertility rates of the specified year.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average; Relevance to gender indicator: it can indicate the status of women within households and a woman’s decision about the number and spacing of children.

In 1925, the crude birth rate in South Africa was just under 49 births per thousand people, meaning that almost five percent of the population was born in that year. This figure would follow the country’s trends in fertility, remaining largely unchanged until the 1950s when, following the implementation of apartheid rule in the country in 1948, declines in fertility from the government's family planning programs would lead to the birth rate's rapid decline. Apart from a brief pause in the early-1980s, births rates would decline throughout the second half of the 20th century, falling to just under 24 births per thousand people by 2000. The crude birth rate would see a brief increase in the early 2000s, largely attributed to a diversion of healthcare funding away from contraceptives to funding for treatments for the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the country, but since then, birth rates have resumed their decline, and in 2020, it is estimated that South Africa had a birth rate just under 21 births for every thousand people.

Graph and download economic data for Adolescent Fertility Rate for the Central African Republic (SPADOTFRTCAF) from 1960 to 2023 about Central African Republic, 15 to 19 years, fertility, and rate.

United States - Crude Birth Rate for Developing Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa was 33.15909 Births per 1,000 People in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Crude Birth Rate for Developing Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa reached a record high of 47.79126 in January of 1950 and a record low of 33.15909 in January of 2023. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Crude Birth Rate for Developing Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

Abstract

The Recorded Live Births (RLB) dataset provides information on all registered live births in South Africa. The RLB dataset is part of a regular series of cumulative releases that is published by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) and based on data collected through the civil registration system. RLB 1998-2023 is the latest release in the series, which replaces and includes the data of the previous release (i.e. RLB 1998-2023 includes the data from RLB 1998-2022). The main objective of this dataset is to outline emerging trends and differentials in birth occurrence and registration, by selected socio-demographic and geographic characteristics, in South Africa over time. Reliable birth statistics are necessary for population health assessment, health policy, service planning and programme evaluation. These data are particularly critical for planning, implementing and monitoring development policies and programmes such as the National Development Plan (NDP) in South Africa, Agenda 2063 at regional level and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at international level.

Geographic coverage

This dataset has national coverage.

Analysis unit

Individuals

Universe

This dataset is based on information on birth occurences from the South African civil registration system. It covers all birth notification forms from the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) for births that occurred from 1998-2023 and that were registered between January 2023 and February 2024. The dataset excludes all births that occurred in South Africa but where the parents were non-South African citizens or not permanent residents.

Kind of data

Administrative records

Mode of data collection

Other

Research instrument

The form used to record live births is the Notice of Birth form of the Department of Home Affairs (Form DHA-24). Previously there were three forms used:

Form BI-24 (for births registered within the first year) Form BI-24/1 (for births registered between a year and 14 years) Form BI-24/15 (for births registered after 15 years or more)

Data appraisal

The Statistics South Africa metadata document mentions two birth forms, however this seems incorrect. There is only one form used, the DHA-24.

South Africa ZA: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data was reported at 20.981 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 21.297 Ratio for 2015. South Africa ZA: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 30.616 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 40.222 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 20.981 Ratio in 2016. South Africa ZA: Birth Rate: Crude: per 1000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s South Africa – Table ZA.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Crude birth rate indicates the number of live births occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear. Subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate provides the rate of natural increase, which is equal to the rate of population change in the absence of migration.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average;

Central African Republic fertility rate for 2025 is 4.23, a 1.74% decline from 2024.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Central African Republic fertility rate for 2024 was <strong>4.30</strong>, a <strong>1.71% decline</strong> from 2023.</li>
<li>Central African Republic fertility rate for 2023 was <strong>4.38</strong>, a <strong>1.68% decline</strong> from 2022.</li>
<li>Central African Republic fertility rate for 2022 was <strong>4.45</strong>, a <strong>1.68% decline</strong> from 2021.</li>
</ul>Total fertility rate represents the number of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her childbearing years and bear children in accordance with age-specific fertility rates of the specified year.

The world's population first reached one billion people in 1803, and reach eight billion in 2023, and will peak at almost 11 billion by the end of the century. Although it took thousands of years to reach one billion people, it did so at the beginning of a phenomenon known as the demographic transition; from this point onwards, population growth has skyrocketed, and since the 1960s the population has increased by one billion people every 12 to 15 years. The demographic transition sees a sharp drop in mortality due to factors such as vaccination, sanitation, and improved food supply; the population boom that follows is due to increased survival rates among children and higher life expectancy among the general population; and fertility then drops in response to this population growth. Regional differences The demographic transition is a global phenomenon, but it has taken place at different times across the world. The industrialized countries of Europe and North America were the first to go through this process, followed by some states in the Western Pacific. Latin America's population then began growing at the turn of the 20th century, but the most significant period of global population growth occurred as Asia progressed in the late-1900s. As of the early 21st century, almost two thirds of the world's population live in Asia, although this is set to change significantly in the coming decades. Future growth The growth of Africa's population, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, will have the largest impact on global demographics in this century. From 2000 to 2100, it is expected that Africa's population will have increased by a factor of almost five. It overtook Europe in size in the late 1990s, and overtook the Americas a decade later. In contrast to Africa, Europe's population is now in decline, as birth rates are consistently below death rates in many countries, especially in the south and east, resulting in natural population decline. Similarly, the population of the Americas and Asia are expected to go into decline in the second half of this century, and only Oceania's population will still be growing alongside Africa. By 2100, the world's population will have over three billion more than today, with the vast majority of this concentrated in Africa. Demographers predict that climate change is exacerbating many of the challenges that currently hinder progress in Africa, such as political and food instability; if Africa's transition is prolonged, then it may result in further population growth that would place a strain on the region's resources, however, curbing this growth earlier would alleviate some of the pressure created by climate change.

Crude Birth Rate for Developing Countries in Middle East and North Africa was 20.37634 Births per 1,000 People in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Crude Birth Rate for Developing Countries in Middle East and North Africa reached a record high of 51.39376 in January of 1950 and a record low of 20.37634 in January of 2023. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Crude Birth Rate for Developing Countries in Middle East and North Africa - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on July of 2025.

A flexible model to reconstruct education-specific fertility rates: Sub-saharan Africa case study

The fertility rates are consistent with the United Nation World Population Prospects (UN WPP) 2022 fertility rates.

The Bayesian model developed to reconstruct the fertility rates using Demographic and Health Surveys and the UN WPP is published in a working paper.

Abstract

The future world population growth and size will be largely determined by the pace of fertility decline in sub-Saharan Africa. Correct estimates of education-specific fertility rates are crucial for projecting the future population. Yet, consistent cross-country comparable estimates of education-specific fertility for sub-Saharan African countries are still lacking. We propose a flexible Bayesian hierarchical model to reconstruct education-specific fertility rates by using the patchy Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) data and the United Nations’ (UN) reliable estimates of total fertility rates (TFR). Our model produces estimates that match the UN TFR to different extents (in other words, estimates of varying levels of consistency with the UN). We present three model specifications: consistent but not identical with the UN, fully-consistent (nearly identical) with the UN, and consistent with the DHS. Further, we provide a full time series of education-specific TFR estimates covering five-year periods between 1980 and 2014 for 36 sub-Saharan African countries. The results show that the DHS-consistent estimates are usually higher than the UN-fully-consistent ones. The differences between the three model estimates vary substantially in size across countries, yielding 1980-2014 fertility trends that differ from each other mostly in level only but in some cases also in direction.

Funding

The data set are part of the BayesEdu Project at Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital (IIASA, OeAW, University of Vienna) funded from the “Innovation Fund Research, Science and Society” by the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW).

We provide education-specific total fertility rates (ESTFR) from three model specifications: (1) estimated TFR consistent but not identical with the TFR estimated by the UN (“Main model (UN-consistent)”; (2) estimated TFR fully consistent (nearly identical) with the TFR estimated by the UN ( “UN-fully -consistent”, and (3) estimated TFR consistent only with the TFR estimated by the DHS ( “DHS-consistent”).

For education- and age-specific fertility rates that are UN-fully consistent, please see https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8182960

Variables

Country: Country names

Education: Four education levels, No Education, Primary Education, Secondary Education and Higher Education.

Year: Five-year periods between 1980 and 2015.

ESTFR: Median education-specific total fertility rate estimate

sd: Standard deviation

Upp50: 50% Upper Credible Interval

Lwr50: 50% Lower Credible Interval

Upp80: 80% Upper Credible Interval

Lwr80: 80% Lower Credible Interval

Model: Three model specifications as explained above and in the working paper. DHS-consistent, Main model (UN-consistent) and UN-fully consistent.

List of countries:

Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cote D'Ivoire, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Education- and age-specific fertility rates for 50 African and Latin American countries between 1970 and 2020.

The fertility rates are consistent with the United Nation's World Population Prospects (UN WPP) 2022 fertility rates.

The Bayesian model developed to reconstruct the fertility rates using Demographic and Health Surveys and the UN WPP is published in a working paper.

Abstract:

Consistent and reliable time series of education- and age-specific fertility rates for the past are difficult to obtain in developing countries, although they are needed to evaluate the impact of women’s education on fertility along periods and cohorts. In this paper, we propose a Bayesian framework to reconstruct age-specific fertility rates by level of education using prior information from the birth history module of the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and the UN World Population Prospects. In our case study regions, we reconstruct age- and education-specific fertility rates which are consistent with the UN age specific fertility rates by four levels of education for 50 African and Latin American countries from 1970 to 2020 in five-year steps. Our results show that the Bayesian approach allows for estimating reliable education- and age-specific fertility rates using multiple rounds of the DHS surveys. The time series obtained confirm the main findings of the literature on fertility trends, and age and education specific differentials.

Funding:

These data sets are part of the BayesEdu Project at Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital (IIASA, OeAW, University of Vienna) funded from the “Innovation Fund Research, Science and Society” by the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW).

Variables:

Country: Country names

Education: Four education levels, No Education, Primary Education, Secondary Education and Higher Education.

Age group: Five-year age groups between 15-19 and 45-49.

Year: Five-year periods between 1970 and 2020.

Median: Median education and age-specific fertility rate estimate

Upper_CI: 95% Upper Credible Interval

Lower_CI: 95% Lower Credible Interval

List of countries:

Angola

Benin

Brazil

Burkina Faso

Burundi

Cameroon

Central African Republic

Chad

Colombia

Comoros

Congo

Côte D'Ivoire

DR Congo

Ecuador

Egypt

Eswatini

Ethiopia

Gabon

Gambia

Ghana

Guatemala

Guinea

Honduras

Kenya

Lesotho

Liberia

Madagascar

Malawi

Mali

Mexico

Morocco

Mozambique

Namibia

Nicaragua

Niger

Nigeria

Paraguay

Peru

Rwanda

Sao Tome and Principe

Senegal

Sierra Leone

South Africa

Sudan

Tanzania

Togo

Tunisia

Uganda

Zambia

Zimbabwe