UN DESA Population Division · Total Fertility Rate
Fertility rate by country
How many children does a woman have over her lifetime?
Of the 222 countries compared in 2023, Somalia had the highest reading, 6.1319, and Macau had the lowest reading, 0.6616. In the middle country the figure was 1.9617. Among the 222 countries measured in every edition since 1950, the middle one moved from 5.8740 to 1.9617.
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Part ofPeople & Population
Fertility rate · 2023
Context statistic
Highest of 222Somalia
6.1319012023 · values only
The highest and the lowest
The three countries with the highest values of 222 compared, the three with the lowest, and the highest on each continent. This statistic has no better end, so no country is shown as leading.
- 1
- 2
- 3
Lowest in 2023
Macau0.6616
Hong Kong0.7169
South Korea0.7200
This statistic has no better end: the two ends describe size, not success.
Highest on each continent
- AfricaSomalia6.1319
- Americas
Saint Martin2.7180 - Asia
Afghanistan4.8403 - Europe
Faroe Islands2.2402 - Oceania
Samoa3.8292 - Every region
02Every measured country
Fertility rate on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value. This statistic has no better end, so the shades describe size, not success.
- 0.6616–1.4331
- 1.4393–1.6952
- 1.7081–2.2803
- 2.2811–3.5000
- 3.5573–6.1319
- No reading in 2023
- Africa
3.9139
the middle country, of 54 measured · 55 members
Somalia6.1319
Mauritius1.2407Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Oceania
2.7485
the middle country, of 21 measured · 21 members
Samoa3.8292
French Polynesia1.5012Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Asia
1.9737
the middle country, of 51 measured · 52 members
Afghanistan4.8403Macau0.6616Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Americas
1.6107
the middle country, of 48 measured · 48 members
Saint Martin2.7180
Puerto Rico0.9413Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Europe
1.4485
the middle country, of 48 measured · 49 members
Faroe Islands2.2402
Ukraine0.9770Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Every region
22 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Middle Africa
4.3220
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Chad6.1203
São Tomé and Príncipe3.6444Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Western Africa
4.1891
the middle country, of 16 measured · 16 members
Niger6.0615
Cabo Verde1.5219Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- Eastern Africa
3.8709
the middle country, of 18 measured · 19 members
Somalia6.1319Mauritius1.2407Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Melanesia
3.0995
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Vanuatu3.5958
New Caledonia1.9803Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.
- Central Asia
3.0124
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Uzbekistan3.5000
Turkmenistan2.6901Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Micronesia
2.7808
the middle country, of 7 measured · 7 members
Nauru3.3312
Palau1.9067Highest and lowest reading in Micronesia.
- Southern Africa
2.7316
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Namibia3.2118
South Africa2.2157Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
- Northern Africa
2.5523
the middle country, of 6 measured · 6 members
Sudan4.3227
Tunisia1.8323Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Polynesia
2.5137
the middle country, of 7 measured · 7 members
Samoa3.8292French Polynesia1.5012Highest and lowest reading in Polynesia.
- Central America
2.0632
the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members
Honduras2.5002
Costa Rica1.3300Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- Western Asia
2.0315
the middle country, of 18 measured · 19 members
Yemen4.5900
United Arab Emirates1.2000Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- Southern Asia
1.9754
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Afghanistan4.8403
Bhutan1.4625Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- South-eastern Asia
1.9157
the middle country, of 11 measured · 11 members
Timor-Leste2.7074
Singapore0.9429Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- South America
1.9015
the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members
Bolivia2.5470
Chile1.1671Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- Caribbean
1.4856
the middle country, of 24 measured · 24 members
Saint Martin2.7180Puerto Rico0.9413Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- Northern Europe
1.4705
the middle country, of 12 measured · 13 members
Faroe Islands2.2402
Lithuania1.2010Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- Eastern Europe
1.4675
the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members
Bulgaria1.7494Ukraine0.9770Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Southern Europe
1.4647
the middle country, of 17 measured · 17 members
Gibraltar1.8881
Vatican City1.0000Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- Western Europe
1.4331
the middle country, of 9 measured · 9 members
Monaco2.1099
Austria1.3175Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- Eastern Asia
0.9348
the middle country, of 8 measured · 8 members
Mongolia2.6850Macau0.6616Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
New Zealand1.6671
Australia1.6380Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Northern America
4 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Bermuda, Canada, Greenland, United States.
Greenland1.9497
Canada1.3494Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.
03The whole field at once
The spread
222 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 1.9617; a quarter are above 3.0573, and a quarter below 1.4842. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 222 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. No rank or position is shown: too many countries share the same value for an order to mean anything. Neither end of this table is better. A high rate often goes with high child mortality and little access to contraception, and a very low one with ageing and a shrinking workforce, but the number itself is a description, not a verdict — so the order here is by size and nothing more.
Showing 25 of 222 countries
Values for 2023. The change column compares 2023 with 2022 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
051950–2023 · 74 reference years
Over time
Each point is one year's estimate, 1950 to 2023, as restated by the 2024 revision. A rate of about 2.1 is the level at which, over the long run and with low child mortality, a population replaces itself without migration.
- the middle country
- the middle half of countries
- the middle of the 222 countries measured every time
- each continent’s middle country
The same, year by year
| Year | Countries | Middle country | Middle half | Measured every time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 222 | 1.9617 | 1.4842 – 3.0573 | 1.9617 |
| 2022 | 222 | 1.9589 | 1.5159 – 3.1076 | 1.9589 |
| 2021 | 222 | 1.9827 | 1.5588 – 3.1909 | 1.9827 |
| 2020 | 222 | 2.0307 | 1.5523 – 3.1131 | 2.0307 |
| 2019 | 222 | 2.0829 | 1.5693 – 3.2346 | 2.0829 |
| 2018 | 222 | 2.1177 | 1.5851 – 3.2711 | 2.1177 |
| 2017 | 222 | 2.1635 | 1.6186 – 3.2981 | 2.1635 |
| 2016 | 222 | 2.1969 | 1.6622 – 3.3369 | 2.1969 |
| 2015 | 222 | 2.2158 | 1.6935 – 3.4054 | 2.2158 |
| 2014 | 222 | 2.2246 | 1.7080 – 3.4375 | 2.2246 |
| 2013 | 222 | 2.2551 | 1.7072 – 3.4796 | 2.2551 |
| 2012 | 222 | 2.2767 | 1.7165 – 3.4575 | 2.2767 |
| 2011 | 222 | 2.3130 | 1.7356 – 3.5106 | 2.3130 |
| 2010 | 222 | 2.3378 | 1.7632 – 3.6168 | 2.3378 |
| 2009 | 222 | 2.3701 | 1.7734 – 3.6160 | 2.3701 |
| 2008 | 222 | 2.3872 | 1.7582 – 3.6209 | 2.3872 |
| 2007 | 222 | 2.4103 | 1.7500 – 3.6845 | 2.4103 |
| 2006 | 222 | 2.4590 | 1.7599 – 3.7049 | 2.4590 |
| 2005 | 222 | 2.4393 | 1.7573 – 3.7459 | 2.4393 |
| 2004 | 222 | 2.4644 | 1.7532 – 3.8678 | 2.4644 |
| 2003 | 222 | 2.4740 | 1.7478 – 3.8978 | 2.4740 |
| 2002 | 222 | 2.5322 | 1.7321 – 3.9831 | 2.5322 |
| 2001 | 222 | 2.5386 | 1.7394 – 4.1160 | 2.5386 |
| 2000 | 222 | 2.5979 | 1.7783 – 4.2140 | 2.5979 |
| 1999 | 222 | 2.6400 | 1.7720 – 4.3329 | 2.6400 |
| 1998 | 222 | 2.7120 | 1.8112 – 4.4315 | 2.7120 |
| 1997 | 222 | 2.8064 | 1.8760 – 4.5736 | 2.8064 |
| 1996 | 222 | 2.8554 | 1.8928 – 4.7361 | 2.8554 |
| 1995 | 222 | 2.9615 | 1.8967 – 4.8441 | 2.9615 |
| 1994 | 222 | 3.0030 | 1.9290 – 4.9363 | 3.0030 |
| 1993 | 222 | 3.1857 | 1.9600 – 5.0579 | 3.1857 |
| 1992 | 222 | 3.1883 | 2.0287 – 5.1676 | 3.1883 |
| 1991 | 222 | 3.3246 | 2.0608 – 5.3271 | 3.3246 |
| 1990 | 222 | 3.3449 | 2.1131 – 5.4580 | 3.3449 |
| 1989 | 222 | 3.3928 | 2.1247 – 5.5570 | 3.3928 |
| 1988 | 222 | 3.4999 | 2.1579 – 5.6755 | 3.4999 |
| 1987 | 222 | 3.5971 | 2.1626 – 5.7185 | 3.5971 |
| 1986 | 222 | 3.7067 | 2.1775 – 5.9478 | 3.7067 |
| 1985 | 222 | 3.7991 | 2.1736 – 6.0128 | 3.7991 |
| 1984 | 222 | 3.8791 | 2.1719 – 6.1142 | 3.8791 |
| 1983 | 222 | 3.9397 | 2.1803 – 6.1857 | 3.9397 |
| 1982 | 222 | 4.0032 | 2.2732 – 6.1895 | 4.0032 |
| 1981 | 222 | 4.0528 | 2.2996 – 6.2986 | 4.0528 |
| 1980 | 222 | 4.1333 | 2.3486 – 6.3835 | 4.1333 |
| 1979 | 222 | 4.2946 | 2.3822 – 6.4234 | 4.2946 |
| 1978 | 222 | 4.4158 | 2.4217 – 6.4573 | 4.4158 |
| 1977 | 222 | 4.5779 | 2.4724 – 6.4831 | 4.5779 |
| 1976 | 222 | 4.7231 | 2.5410 – 6.4885 | 4.7231 |
| 1975 | 222 | 4.9319 | 2.6698 – 6.5336 | 4.9319 |
| 1974 | 222 | 5.0965 | 2.7444 – 6.5340 | 5.0965 |
| 1973 | 222 | 5.2662 | 2.8574 – 6.5364 | 5.2662 |
| 1972 | 222 | 5.3446 | 3.0078 – 6.5582 | 5.3446 |
| 1971 | 222 | 5.5548 | 3.1257 – 6.5457 | 5.5548 |
| 1970 | 222 | 5.6259 | 3.0805 – 6.5714 | 5.6259 |
| 1969 | 222 | 5.7118 | 3.2272 – 6.6391 | 5.7118 |
| 1968 | 222 | 5.7940 | 3.3836 – 6.6680 | 5.7940 |
| 1967 | 222 | 5.8673 | 3.5357 – 6.6805 | 5.8673 |
| 1966 | 222 | 5.9577 | 3.6425 – 6.7000 | 5.9577 |
| 1965 | 222 | 6.0032 | 3.8183 – 6.7483 | 6.0032 |
| 1964 | 222 | 6.0568 | 3.9508 – 6.7865 | 6.0568 |
| 1963 | 222 | 6.1533 | 4.0499 – 6.7994 | 6.1533 |
| 1962 | 222 | 6.1288 | 4.0060 – 6.8000 | 6.1288 |
| 1961 | 222 | 6.1084 | 3.8946 – 6.7758 | 6.1084 |
| 1960 | 222 | 6.1088 | 4.1568 – 6.7430 | 6.1088 |
| 1959 | 222 | 6.1091 | 4.0446 – 6.7357 | 6.1091 |
| 1958 | 222 | 6.1237 | 4.0813 – 6.7186 | 6.1237 |
| 1957 | 222 | 6.1165 | 4.1109 – 6.6971 | 6.1165 |
| 1956 | 222 | 6.0635 | 4.0585 – 6.6675 | 6.0635 |
| 1955 | 222 | 6.0608 | 4.0886 – 6.6642 | 6.0608 |
| 1954 | 222 | 6.0351 | 4.1402 – 6.6595 | 6.0351 |
| 1953 | 222 | 5.9786 | 4.1427 – 6.6670 | 5.9786 |
| 1952 | 222 | 5.9413 | 4.0841 – 6.6580 | 5.9413 |
| 1951 | 222 | 5.9124 | 4.0622 – 6.6324 | 5.9124 |
| 1950 | 222 | 5.8740 | 4.2333 – 6.6034 | 5.8740 |
062022 → 2023
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions — reference years recalculated in one report, not two separate publications. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Rose most
before → after
Saudi Arabia2.1400 → 2.2803+0.1403- Uzbekistan3.3961 → 3.5000+0.1039
- Ukraine0.8970 → 0.9770+0.0800
Oman2.4485 → 2.5251+0.0766
Belize1.9492 → 2.0072+0.0580
Fell most
before → after
Czechia1.6180 → 1.4480−0.1700
Belgium1.5467 → 1.3795−0.1672
Latvia1.4700 → 1.3375−0.1325- Somalia6.2552 → 6.1319−0.1233
North Macedonia1.5879 → 1.4647−0.1232
222 countries were measured in both 2022 and 2023.
07Across every edition
Fertility rate in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
8.8637
Live births per woman
Lowest reading on record
0.6616
Live births per woman
Biggest rise between editions
+2.2220
3.8630 → 6.0850
Biggest fall between editions
−2.3967
4.9937 → 2.5970
Biggest change since first measured
+0.0847
5.9658 → 6.0505
Highest most often
27 of 74
editions, alone at the first-listed end
08The measure
About fertility rate
The total fertility rate is the number of children a woman would have over her lifetime if, at each age, she had children at the rate women of that age did in the year measured. It is the standard measure of how many children a society is having, because unlike a birth rate it does not depend on how many women happen to be of childbearing age.
What the number is: Live births per woman.
What it does not measure
It describes how many children are born, not how many people wanted, and it says nothing about whether a population is growing once migration and deaths are counted.
09Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under People & Population, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Moves with
Where fertility rate is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- Crude Birth RateUN DESA Population Division · 222 countries in commonρ 0.96
- Population Under Age 15UN DESA Population Division · 222 countries in commonρ 0.94
- Gender Inequality IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 172 countries in commonρ 0.86
Moves against
Where fertility rate is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Median Age of the PopulationUN DESA Population Division · 222 countries in commonρ −0.89
- GNI per Capita (PPP)World Bank Group · 102 countries in commonρ −0.86
- Human Capital IndexWorld Bank Group · 172 countries in commonρ −0.86
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 386 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
10Keep reading
Explore further
The subject
11Questions
Fertility rate: questions and answers
Which country has the highest fertility rate?
Somalia, at 6.1319, among the 222 countries compared in 2023.
Which country has the lowest fertility rate?
Macau, at 0.6616, among the 222 countries compared in 2023.
How many countries does the Total Fertility Rate cover?
222 in 2023.
What is the world average fertility rate?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 222 compared in 2023, the figure was 1.9617.
Is this UN DESA Population Division’s own ranking?
No ranking is shown. UN DESA Population Division publishes values only, and too many countries share the same value for an ordering to mean anything, so none is derived.
How often is the Total Fertility Rate published?
This site holds 74 reference years, 1950–2023, all recalculated in UN DESA Population Division’s 2024 report on one method — not 74 separate publications.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From UN DESA Population Division, under CC BY 3.0 IGO. From World Population Prospects 2024, read from the Population Division's own CSV download rather than through the World Bank. Projections are excluded: only years the UN has estimated appear here. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
12Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
Total Fertility Rate — UN DESA Population Division
From World Population Prospects 2024, read from the Population Division's own CSV download rather than through the World Bank. Projections are excluded: only years the UN has estimated appear here.
Newest edition
Report year 2023Data year 2023
Cite the source as: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. World Population Prospects 2024. New York: United Nations.
Licence: CC BY 3.0 IGO, checked 2026-09-26.
How this page reads the numbers
- No rank or position is shown: UN DESA Population Division publishes values only, and too many countries share the same value for an ordering to mean anything.
- This statistic has no better end, so the page describes higher and lower values and never calls a country a leader.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Fertility rate by country: Total Fertility Rate, data from UN DESA Population Division. https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/fertility-rate