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.

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.

In 2023, there were five countries, where the average woman of childbearing age can expect to have over six children throughout their lifetime. In fact, of the 20 countries in the world with the highest fertility rates, Afghanistan and Yemen are the only countries not found in Sub-Saharan Africa. High fertility rates in Africa With a fertility rate of 6.13 and 6.12 children per woman, Somalia and Chad were the countries with the highest fertility rate in the world. Population growth in Chad is among the highest in the world. Lack of healthcare access, as well as food instability, political instability, and climate change, are all exacerbating conditions that keep Chad's infant mortality rates high, which is generally the driver behind high fertility rates. This situation is common across much of the continent, and, although there has been considerable progress in recent decades, development in Sub-Saharan Africa is not moving as quickly as it did in other regions. Demographic transition While these countries have the highest fertility rates in the world, their rates are all on a generally downward trajectory due to a phenomenon known as the demographic transition. The third stage (of five) of this transition sees birth rates drop in response to decreased infant and child mortality, as families no longer feel the need to compensate for lost children. Eventually, fertility rates fall below replacement level (approximately 2.1 children per woman), which eventually leads to natural population decline once life expectancy plateaus. In some of the most developed countries today, low fertility rates are creating severe econoic and societal challenges as workforces are shrinking while aging populations are placin a greater burden on both public and personal resources.

In 2024, Niger recorded the highest crude birth rates in Africa, with 46.6 births recorded per 1,000 inhabitants. Angola, followed with 41.1 births per 1,000 population, whereas the rate in Benin and Mali stood above 40. In Niger, Uganda, Angola, and Mali, the population's median age is under 17 years old. Especially, Niger ranks as the country with the youngest population in Africa and worldwide, with a median age of 15.1 years.

The average for 2022 based on 53 countries was 3.91 births per woman. The highest value was in Somalia: 6.26 births per woman and the lowest value was in Mauritius: 1.32 births per woman. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

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

Niger had the highest birth rate in the world in 2024, with a birth rate of 46.6 births per 1,000 inhabitants. Angola, Benin, Mali, and Uganda followed. Except for Afghanistan, all 20 countries with the highest birth rates in the world were located in Sub-Saharan Africa. High infant mortality The reasons behind the high birth rates in many Sub-Saharan African countries are manyfold, but a major reason is that infant mortality remains high on the continent, despite decreasing steadily over the past decades, resulting in high birth rates to counter death rates. Moreover, many nations in Sub-Saharan Africa are highly reliant on small-scale farming, meaning that more hands are of importance. Additionally, polygamy is not uncommon in the region, and having many children is often seen as a symbol of status. Fastest-growing populations As the high fertility rates coincide with decreasing death rates, countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have the highest population growth rates in the world. As a result, Africa's population is forecast to increase from 1.4 billion in 2022 to over 3.9 billion by 2100.

This horizontal bar chart displays fertility rate (births per woman) by country using the aggregation average, weighted by population female in Eastern Africa. The data is about countries per year.

The average for 2022 based on 196 countries was 18.19 births per 1000 people. The highest value was in the Central African Republic: 45.42 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 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

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

This horizontal bar chart displays fertility rate (births per woman) by capital city using the aggregation average, weighted by population female in Africa. The data is about countries.

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.

Fertility Rate, Total for Developing Countries in Middle East and North Africa was 2.65003 Births per Woman in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, Fertility Rate, Total for Developing Countries in Middle East and North Africa reached a record high of 7.01168 in January of 1964 and a record low of 2.65003 in January of 2023. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Fertility Rate, Total for Developing Countries in Middle East and North Africa - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on November of 2025.

Project Overview West and Central Africa have the highest fertility rates in the world. These high birthrates are largely a function of desired fertility and continued allegiance to large families. Recent survey data on the desired number of children for 41 countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) shows a median value of 4.8 children, with only one-quarter of the countries characterized by a mean value under 4.0 and more than one-quarter with a mean value above 5.0. From survey data we know nothing about what satisfactions and returns men and women seek in childbearing, and how they assess the costs and benefits of large versus small families. Despite the high demand for children, unintended pregnancy is common in SSA. Between two and three pregnancies per woman on average (including induced abortions) over the entire reproductive career are unintended. The unintended pregnancy rate is twice as high in SSA as it is in Europe, North America, and Asia. The advantages of using modern contraception are recognized, but perceptions of the advantages of use co-exist with uncertainties about whether taking this step is prudent, all things considered. There are competing rationales, in tension with one another. Moreover, there are multiple actors – both the woman and her male partner, and possibly other near-kin, as well as influential community leaders – whose views figure into contraception decision-making. By comparison with the large volume of research on how to strengthen family planning services in this region, there has been relatively little probing research on the demand for modern contraception. This qualitative data collection conducted as part of a larger program of research aimed to correct this imbalance through a multi-faceted investigation of fertility desires and their bearing on the demand for modern contraception. The objective of the qualitative data collection was to explore men’s and women’s fertility desires and demand for modern contraception through in-depth investigation of the complex set of factors that argue for and against avoiding pregnancy in the Nigerian context, and the social, psychological and dyadic processes that translate the desire to avoid pregnancy into decisions to use (or not use) modern contraception. Data and Data Collection Overview The qualitative data in this research project were collected in two phases: • Phase I: Semi-structured in-depth interviews with Nigerian men and women, which included one-on-one individual interviews (IDI), as well as joint couple interviews (JI) with a subset of participants, in six states • Phase II: Cognitive interviews (CI) with Nigerian women in Lagos State Phase I: This component involved 166 adult Nigerian men and women (74 men and 92 women) of reproductive age who had been in stable unions (i.e., married, consensual unions) for at least two years. Participants were recruited from six states across Nigeria–Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Gombe, Lagos, Nasarawa, and Sokoto–representing each of Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, with two sites in each state (one urban and one rural). The study sample was stratified along three dimensions: state, community of residence (urban/rural), and gender. Within each stratum, we used purposive sampling to ensure diversity of participants in terms of socioeconomic status, age, parity (number of children), union type (monogamous, polygynous), union duration, and religion. The sample consisted of both matched couples (the husband and wife/wives were all recruited and interviewed) and unmatched individuals (only the husband or wife was recruited and interviewed). Each of the 166 participants completed a one-on-one semi-structured in-depth interview (IDI) conducted by a gender-matched interviewer. In addition, a subset of 27 couples completed a joint couple interview (JI). In the case of matched polygynous unions, one wife was selected for the joint interview with the husband (although all wives were interviewed individually). All interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide. Interviews were conducted in one of four languages (English, Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba) or a combination of the languages based on participants’ preferences. Interviews lasted from about 30 minutes to over 2 hours. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed (and translated as appropriate) verbatim, after which they were de-identified. Phase II: The cognitive interviews for the second component were conducted as part of an exploratory research project testing four variants of a survey question on the wanted status of the most recent birth. This phase involved 40 women ages 18-44 years who had had a live birth in the preceding 3-year period, recruited from the immunization or family planning clinics of three public primary health care facilities in Lagos, Nigeria. All interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide. There were four interview guides – one for each variant of the ‘wanted status of recent...

The average for 2022 based on 53 countries was 29.76 births per 1000 people. The highest value was in the Central African Republic: 45.42 births per 1000 people and the lowest value was in Mauritius: 9.6 births per 1000 people. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

This horizontal bar chart displays fertility rate (births per woman) by demonym using the aggregation average, weighted by population female in Northern Africa. The data is about countries.

United States - Fertility Rate, Total: All Income Levels for Sub-Saharan Africa was 4.33242 Births per Woman in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, United States - Fertility Rate, Total: All Income Levels for Sub-Saharan Africa reached a record high of 6.79943 in January of 1976 and a record low of 4.33242 in January of 2023. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for United States - Fertility Rate, Total: All Income Levels for Sub-Saharan Africa - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on November of 2025.

Total fertility rates (TFR) among women aged 15–49 from January 1994 to December 2018.

This statistic shows the fertility rate in Sub-Saharan Africa from 2013 to 2023. The fertility rate is the average number of children born to one woman while being of child-bearing age. Sub-Saharan Africa includes almost all countries south of the Sahara desert. In 2023, the fertility rate in Sub-Saharan Africa amounted to 4.33 children per woman.

The Occupied Palestinian territories, namely the West Bank and Gaza Strip, had the highest average births per woman in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, reaching almost 3.5 and 3.3 births per woman respectively in 2024. Bahrain and the UAE had the lowest birth rates per woman in the region. Birth rates and maternal health improvements in MENA Birth rates in the Middle East and North Africa have decreased considerably over the years. The crude birth rate in MENA dropped from around 25 per 1,000 population in 2000 to 20 in 2021. Considerable progress has been made regarding the health of women who are pregnant. The maternal mortality ratio in MENA decreased from 108 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2000, to 56 in 2020. Another trend is a slow but noticeable decline in the adolescent fertility rate in MENA over the last two decades, from around 44 in 2000 to about 34 births per 1,000 adolescent girls in 2022. Persistent female health issues A high female obesity rate is a prevalent health issues stemming from lifestyles in MENA. The obesity rate among adult females in MENA ranged from around 59 percent in Egypt to approximately 31.5 percent in Morocco as of 2022. Female genital mutilation is another societal problem in the region, though not an isolated one. The number of girls and women who have undergone female genital mutilation in Africa was around 144 million in 2024. In the Middle East, this number was much lower, at about six million.