births per woman · World Bank
Fertility rate
Average number of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her childbearing years.
Methodology & source
How this is measured.
Definition
Average number of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her childbearing years.
Calculation
UN Population Division, supplemented by national surveys (DHS, MICS).
Primary source
World Bank · SP.DYN.TFRT.IN
License: CC BY 4.0
View source Caveats
Estimates lag in countries without recent surveys. Adolescent fertility is captured separately (SP.ADO.TFRT).
Cross the bridge
Behind the numbers, the country.
Numbers tell you the trajectory. Tourism shows you the people, the parks, the streets — the lives the data is measuring.
Bulk download
Every country, every year — Fertility rate.
All 1,000 data points for this indicator across all 54 African countries (1960–2024). Free for any non-commercial use; please cite World Bank.
Continent average
3.80
births per woman
Continental view
Africa, color-coded.
Hover or tap any country to see its rate.
births per woman
1.443.866.03
Time series
How it's changed.
Continent average vs. Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa. Values in births per woman.
Continent average
Nigeria
Kenya
South Africa
Biggest improvers
Largest gains since 2000
Cabo Verde↓ 41%
2006: 2.56 births per woman2024: 1.51 births per woman
Malawi↓ 37%
2007: 5.72 births per woman2024: 3.59 births per woman
Sierra Leone↓ 35%
2006: 5.74 births per woman2024: 3.70 births per woman
Ethiopia↓ 35%
2006: 6.05 births per woman2024: 3.91 births per woman
Stalled or worse
Smallest gains, or moved the wrong way
Open the data
Every country, latest available value.
Sorted lowest to highest — lower is better. Click any country to open its dataset detail page.
Showing 20 of 54.
↑ 4%
2006: 2.63 births per woman2024: 2.72 births per woman
Central African Republic↑ 2%
2006: 5.84 births per woman2024: 5.95 births per woman
Zimbabwe↓ 0%
2007: 3.68 births per woman2024: 3.67 births per woman
Tunisia↓ 7%
2007: 1.96 births per woman2024: 1.82 births per woman
Keep going
Other indicators in this topic.