| Rank | Country | Total fertility rate (children born/woman) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Niger | 7.16 |  |
| 2 | Mali | 6.35 | |
| 3 | Somalia | 6.26 | |
| 4 | Uganda | 6.14 | |
| 5 | Burundi | 6.08 | |
| 6 | Burkina Faso | 6.07 | |
| 7 | Zambia | 5.85 | |
| 8 | Afghanistan | 5.64 | |
| 9 | Congo, Republic of the | 5.59 | |
| 10 | Angola | 5.54 | |
| 11 | Mozambique | 5.4 | |
| 12 | Ethiopia | 5.39 | |
| 13 | Nigeria | 5.38 | |
| 14 | Malawi | 5.35 | |
| 15 | East Timor | 5.32 | |
| 16 | Benin | 5.22 | |
| 17 | Congo, Democratic Republic of the | 5.09 | |
| 18 | Tanzania | 5.08 | |
| 19 | Guinea | 5.04 | |
| 20 | Liberia | 5.02 | |
| 21 | Sao Tome and Principe | 4.94 | |
| 22 | Chad | 4.93 | |
| 23 | Sierra Leone | 4.9 | |
| 24 | Equatorial Guinea | 4.83 | |
| 25 | Rwanda | 4.81 | |
| 26 | Senegal | 4.69 | |
| 27 | Togo | 4.64 | |
| 28 | Central African Republic | 4.57 | |
| 29 | Gaza Strip | 4.57 | |
| 30 | Gabon | 4.56 | |
| 31 | Madagascar | 4.45 | |
| 32 | Yemen | 4.45 | |
| 33 | Guinea-Bissau | 4.44 | |
| 34 | Eritrea | 4.37 | |
| 35 | Mauritania | 4.22 | |
| 36 | Western Sahara | 4.22 | |
| 37 | Sudan | 4.17 | |
| 38 | Ghana | 4.15 | |
| 39 | Gambia, The | 4.1 | |
| 40 | Comoros | 4.09 | |
| 41 | Cameroon | 4.09 | |
| 42 | Kenya | 3.98 | |
| 43 | Cote d'Ivoire | 3.82 | |
| 44 | Zimbabwe | 3.61 | |
| 45 | Iraq | 3.58 | |
| 46 | Vanuatu | 3.57 | |
| 47 | Tonga | 3.55 | |
| 48 | Solomon Islands | 3.51 | |
| 49 | Papua New Guinea | 3.39 | |
| 50 | Marshall Islands | 3.37 | |
Definition: This entry gives a figure for the average number of children that would be born per woman if all women lived to the end of their childbearing years and bore children according to a given fertility rate at each age. The total fertility rate (TFR) is a more direct measure of the level of fertility than the crude birth rate, since it refers to births per woman. This indicator shows the potential for population change in the country. A rate of two children per woman is considered the replacement rate for a population, resulting in relative stability in terms of total numbers. Rates above two children indicate populations growing in size and whose median age is declining. Higher rates may also indicate difficulties for families, in some situations, to feed and educate their children and for women to enter the labor force. Rates below two children indicate populations decreasing in size and growing older. Global fertility rates are in general decline and this trend is most pronounced in industrialized countries, especially Western Europe, where populations are projected to decline dramatically over the next 50 years.
Source: CIA World Factbook - Unless otherwise noted, information in this page is accurate as of January 1, 2012
See also: Total fertility rate mapRelated News
Baby Blues in Europe as Birth Rate Declines
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FOX News - 5/10/2013 11:56:33 PM
World -- too many people now you're saying ... but what we've seen since 1968 is -- market decline in fertility rates across the globe started in the west to spread right to. All developing countries as well. And so what we -- about now is that.
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forexblog.oanda.com - 5/21/2013 11:54:50 AM
“In 2008, several European countries entered a period of economic crisis, usually featuring a fall in gross domestic product(GDP). From the start of the recession, the total fertility rate started to decline across Europe,” Eurostat senior statistician ...
Falling fertility rate poses problems, author says
Baptist Press - 4/16/2013 7:24:22 PM
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Germany is the 'most popular country in the world' despite its hard line on debt-ridden EU neighbours
Daily Mail - 5/24/2013 9:20:58 AM
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Fertility Rates and Population Decline: No Time for Children?
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Singapore uses 'modern fairytales' to warn women of declining fertility
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Welcome to adult education in marriage and fertility, Singapore-style. "Alice" is one of 15 fairytales ... Critics point to other recent schemes promoting conventional themes about women's roles in society as proof that Singapore is simply ...
TV Linked with Falling Birth Rates
LiveScience - 5/13/2013 5:33:37 PM
Birth rates ... a country's population will eventually level off) is 2.19 births per woman. Birth rates have declined significantly in many areas of the world, to a degree that is perhaps overlooked. This is particularly true in India, where the fertility ...
3 Countries With Awful Demographics
The Motley Fool - 4/29/2013 3:34:12 PM
"In 1979, the world's fertility rate ... If Japan's fertility stays where it is, the country will contract by more than half -- to 56.8 million -- by the end of the century. What's shocking here is the rate of increase in the 65-plus share of the population.
Why are birthrates falling around the world? Blame television.
Washington Post - 5/13/2013 7:42:27 PM
“I find it extraordinary that the massive global drop in human fertility ... the world — with the exception of sub-Saharan Africa, mostly. Here’s a map of the current state of affairs: One notable bit here is how many developing countries ...
Study on human fertility models find those based on economics the most reliable
Phys - 4/30/2013 11:36:48 AM
the researchers have concluded that those models that are based on economics are most likely to represent true fertility rate dynamics as they occur in the real world. Explore further: Education can offset impact of low fertility trap More information ...
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