Birth Rates by Country

Data

Source: World Bank — Birth rate, crude (per 1,000 people). 2023 data.

Note: What You Should Know About Birth Rates

What a "Birth Rate" Actually Measures

The crude birth rate is simply the number of live births per 1,000 people in a population each year. It's called "crude" because it doesn't adjust for the age structure of a country — it counts the whole population, not just people of childbearing age. So a country with lots of young adults naturally reports a higher birth rate than one with an older population, all else being equal. It's a quick, comparable snapshot rather than a precise measure of how many children families are choosing to have.

Which Countries Top the List?

The highest birth rates in the world are overwhelmingly found in sub-Saharan Africa. As the chart shows, Niger leads at around 47 births per 1,000 people, followed closely by Mali, Chad, Angola, and Uganda. Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, and Zambia all sit in the high 30s. Several factors drive these numbers — younger populations, lower rates of contraception use, strong cultural and religious emphasis on large families, and agriculture-based economies where children contribute to household labor and family support.

Where Birth Rates Are Lowest

At the opposite end, the lowest birth rates on Earth are found in East Asia and Europe. South Korea (about 5 per 1,000) and Japan (around 6) sit near the very bottom, with Italy, Spain, and Taiwan not far behind. Germany, shown here at 9.4, is typical of wealthy European nations. Low birth rates tend to appear where education levels and living costs are high, women's workforce participation is strong, and reliable birth control is widely available — so having a child is a carefully planned, often delayed decision.

Why the Replacement Rate Matters

Demographers talk a lot about the "replacement rate" — the fertility level at which a population replaces itself over time without growing or shrinking. For most countries that's roughly 2.1 children per woman (a bit above 2, to account for children who don't survive to adulthood and for the roughly half of babies who are boys). When a country's birth rate stays far below that level for generations, the population begins to shrink unless immigration makes up the difference.

The Demographic Ripple Effects

• High birth rates can strain resources. Rapid population growth puts pressure on schools, housing, healthcare, food supplies, and jobs, and can make poverty and climate stress harder to escape.
• Low birth rates mean aging populations. In places like Japan and Italy, the share of working-age adults shrinks while the number of retirees grows, squeezing pension and healthcare budgets.
• A "demographic dividend" is possible. When birth rates fall but the large younger generation is still working, countries can enjoy a temporary economic boost — many East Asian economies rode this wave.
• Migration reshapes the picture. Countries with low birth rates often rely on immigration to keep their workforces and social systems sustainable.
• Falling birth rates change family life. Smaller families, more attention per child, and more freedom for parents factor into everything from house sizes to how communities are designed.

Quick Tips for Reading the Numbers

• The crude birth rate is a rate, not a count of total births — compare countries on the same per-1,000 basis.
• Remember that birth rate and fertility rate (children per woman) are related but different statistics — both are useful.
• Look at trends over time, not just the latest year — a single snapshot can miss a country heading for a demographic transition.
• Consider the population's age structure — it's why Japan's birth rate looks low even though many families still have children.
• Check the median age of a country; rising median age pairs neatly with falling birth rates.
• Remember birth rate is just one side of the coin — death rate and net migration decide whether a population actually grows.

Fun Facts

• Niger's birth rate is roughly nine times that of South Korea — among the biggest spreads between any two countries in the world.
• The world's population only reached about 1 billion people around the year 1800; today it's past 8 billion, thanks largely to falling death rates.
• Lowering infant mortality actually helps lower birth rates over time — parents grow confident their children will survive, so they choose to have fewer.
• A country needs well over two children per woman just to keep its population steady across generations, a goal most of Europe and East Asia now fall short of.
• Worldwide, birth rates have been dropping for decades — a historic global shift from the days when large families were the norm almost everywhere.