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Number of births per 1,000 population

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

40.0

45.0

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Birth Rate by Country 2024

The birth rate is the number of live births per 1,000 people in a population over a specific period of time (typically a year). Birth rate is closely intertwined with total fertility rate, which tracks the average number of children that women in a given country give birth to during their childbearing years. The birth rate varies drastically by country. The average global birth rate was 18.5 births per 1,000 people in 2019, lower than in 2007 and 2012. The daily global birth rate and daily global death rate combine to determine the world's overall rate of population growth.

Birth rate and replacement rate

Both birth rate and fertility rate are helpful in analyzing a country's replacement rate, which compares the rate of births and deaths in a country to determine whether the population is growing or shrinking overall. This metric is important because populations that increase or decrease too rapidly can put a strain on a country's systems, including its economy, infrastructure, social programs.

The global decrease in birth rate has caused some countries to worry that their current birth rate is not enough to replace the older generation, which would lead to a population decline. Problems associated with population decline include a slowed economy, which can lead to the closing of businesses from restaurants to public transportation to schools to medical facilities. To help counteract these concerns, some governments offer financial incentives to encourage citizens to have children. Low birth rates are attributed to the high costs of raising a child, people choosing to further their careers over starting a family, and older average ages for first-time mothers.

On the other hand, some countries face overpopulation and the problems associated with it, such as overcrowding, poverty, an overwhelmed health care sector, low life expectancy, and low education levels. In these circumstances, a country's government might offer incentives for people to have only one child.

Top 10 Countries with the Highest Birth Rate (per 1000 people, CIA World Factbook 2021 estimate)

Country
Birth Rate (CIA Factbook)
Niger46.86
Angola41.42
Benin40.72
Mali40.54
Uganda40.27
Chad39.85
DR Congo39.64
Somalia37.71
South Sudan37.07
Mozambique36.94

10 Countries with the Lowest Birth Rate (per 1000 people, CIA World Factbook 2021 estimate)

Country
Birth Rate (CIA Factbook)
Saint Pierre and Miquelon6.54
Monaco6.61
Andorra6.87
Japan6.9
South Korea6.95
Italy7
Spain7.12
Taiwan7.33
Greece7.52
Puerto Rico7.84

Birth rate highs and lows

According to the CIA World Factbook, Nigeria has the highest birth rate in the world at 47.28 average annual births per 1,000 people per year. The birth rate in Angola decreased significantly since 2000, when it was 46.89. It is notable that datas from other sources, such as the United Nations or World Bank, rank countries in a slightly different order (see below), but central Africa is the fastest-growing region globally and Nigeria the fastest-growing population in every case.

On the other side of the scale, the CIA estimates Monaco has the lowest birth rate in the world at 6.63 average annual births per 1,000 people per year. In comparison, the United Nations awards that rank to the U.S. territory Puerto Rico (6.55) and South Korea (6.77) and World Bank identifies Puerto Rico (6.4) and San Marino (6.7) as the lowest birth rates in the world. The United States sits at the lower end of the spectrum in all three rankings, with averages ranging from 11.4 to 12.33.

* Birth rate is number of births per 1,000 population

Download Table Data

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Country
Birth Rate (UN WPP) (per 1K people)
Birth Rate (CIA Factbook)
Niger44.746.86
Somalia42.637.71
Chad42.639.85
Central African Republic42.332.37
DR Congo41.439.64
Mali40.840.54
Angola37.741.42
Nigeria36.234
Mozambique35.636.94
Benin35.540.72
Uganda35.540.27
Tanzania35.332.9
Afghanistan34.534.79
Burkina Faso34.432.71
Cameroon33.835.13
Zambia33.834.48
Burundi33.534.87
Guinea33.435.47
Ivory Coast33.227.92
Mauritania32.627.61
Sudan32.633.32
Malawi32.427.29
Gambia32.328.03
Mayotte32.1
Senegal31.630.84
Ethiopia31.329.97
Togo31.131.39
Liberia30.836.26
Sierra Leone30.331.49
Madagascar30.328.14
Guinea Bissau30.136.25
Republic of the Congo29.831.55
Zimbabwe29.632.77
Equatorial Guinea29.429.46
Yemen29.424.05
Rwanda29.125.7
South Sudan28.937.07
Solomon Islands28.922.34
Vanuatu28.521.19
Comoros28.422.06
Eritrea28.326.72
Sao Tome and Principe27.827.43
Kenya27.326.01
Palestine27.327.2
Pakistan26.926.01
Iraq26.724.22
Ghana26.728.04
Samoa26.619.03
Namibia26.624.68
Gabon26.225.89
Kiribati26.119.92
Nauru25.920.71
Lesotho25.423.01
Tajikistan25.320.28
Papua New Guinea24.628.54
French Guiana24.6
Timor Leste24.330.36
Eswatini23.422.83
Tuvalu22.822.34
Haiti22.820.81
Tonga22.620.02
Kyrgyzstan22.619.08
Botswana22.519.95
Egypt21.720.48
Djibouti21.722.03
Uzbekistan21.515.18
Syria21.522.19
Jordan21.322.37
Philippines21.322.17
Bolivia21.318.08
Laos21.020.35
Micronesia20.718.12
Guatemala20.621.88
Honduras20.517.64
Kazakhstan20.214.92
Turkmenistan20.017.16
Paraguay20.016.15
Nepal19.817.26
Algeria19.617.84
Nicaragua19.616.3
Guyana19.516.74
Mongolia19.515.37
Israel19.017.3
South Africa18.918.24
Fiji18.816.25
Cambodia18.518.75
Tokelau18.4
Marshall Islands18.221.61
Suriname17.815.17
Dominican Republic17.717.8
Belize17.620.93
Bangladesh17.317.5
Panama17.217.71
Peru17.116.96
Oman17.121.62
Libya16.920.88
Morocco16.817.1
American Samoa16.716.18
Myanmar16.716.04
Saudi Arabia16.413.9
Ecuador16.416.19
Cape Verde16.418.19
Guam16.318.33
India16.116.53
Indonesia16.015.05
Western Sahara16.0
Cook Islands15.912.34
Venezuela15.916.99
El Salvador15.617.49
Grenada15.213.61
Tunisia15.114.05
Malaysia14.814.39
Faroe Islands14.814.94
Palau14.711.57
Seychelles14.712.1
Mexico14.513.95
Vietnam14.315.29
Moldova14.29.94
Reunion14.2
Turkey14.114.04
Niue14.0
Lebanon14.012.86
New Caledonia13.913.96
Greenland13.813.66
Saint Martin13.713.95
Colombia13.715.06
Argentina13.715.38
Sri Lanka13.613.61
Dominica13.213.64
Brunei13.215.98
Maldives13.115.33
North Korea12.914.06
Iran12.814.79
Georgia12.810.79
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines12.612.09
Brazil12.513.44
French Polynesia12.413.22
New Zealand12.312.69
Bhutan12.215.61
Northern Mariana Islands12.215.6
Iceland12.112.8
Turks and Caicos Islands12.013.24
Antigua and Barbuda11.815.01
Saint Kitts and Nevis11.612.06
Guadeloupe11.6
Azerbaijan11.613.2
Costa Rica11.514.03
Chile11.512.57
Curacao11.413.07
Australia11.412.23
Wallis and Futuna11.412.05
Jamaica11.415.77
Armenia11.410.8
Bahamas11.314.49
Ireland11.212.08
Bahrain11.212.3
Saint Lucia11.111.73
Trinidad and Tobago11.110.62
United States11.012.21
Denmark11.011.25
United States Virgin Islands11.011.35
Falkland Islands10.910.9
Montenegro10.811.04
Sweden10.710.76
Romania10.78.63
Barbados10.710.73
Slovakia10.78.78
Jersey10.512.31
Uruguay10.412.65
Gibraltar10.413.84
France10.411.56
Netherlands10.410.98
Luxembourg10.311.59
Hungary10.28.58
Poland10.28.31
Mauritius10.19.82
Albania10.112.48
United Kingdom10.010.8
Belgium10.010.86
Macau10.08.82
Norway10.011.89
Estonia9.98.48
Guernsey9.99.73
Canada9.810.11
Cyprus9.810.37
Switzerland9.810.3
United Arab Emirates9.610.76
Martinique9.6
Russia9.59.22
Czech Republic9.58.43
North Macedonia9.510.33
Cayman Islands9.511.62
Austria9.49.39
Lithuania9.49.09
Kuwait9.317.65
Montserrat9.210.66
Anguilla9.111.9
Serbia9.18.87
Liechtenstein9.110.3
Malta9.19.59
Germany9.19.02
Belarus9.18.87
Monaco8.96.61
Sint Maarten8.912.41
Cuba8.89.99
Qatar8.89.27
Slovenia8.78.12
Latvia8.78.5
Thailand8.710.04
Isle of Man8.510.49
Finland8.510.33
Croatia8.48.6
Bulgaria8.37.97
Saint Barthelemy8.39.3
Bosnia and Herzegovina8.28.31
Puerto Rico8.07.84
Taiwan7.87.33
Portugal7.87.99
British Virgin Islands7.610.9
China7.59.69
Spain7.47.12
Saint Pierre and Miquelon7.46.54
Greece7.47.52
Bermuda7.310.97
Aruba7.211.69
Andorra7.16.87
Singapore7.18.94
Italy6.97
Japan6.66.9
San Marino5.98.88
South Korea5.66.95
Hong Kong5.57.85
Ukraine5.18.79
Vatican City4.4
Total16.8
showing: 234 rows

What country has the highest birth rate in the world?

Niger has the highest birth rate in the world, 44.7 births per 1,000 people annually.

What country has the lowest birth rate?

Vatican City has the lowest birth rate in the world, 4.4 births per 1,000 people annually.

Is the world's birth rate declining?

The average global birth rate in 2019 of 18.5 births each year per 1,000 people shows a decline from the numbers in both 2012 and 2007.

Frequently Asked Questions

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