2024 birth-rate – The World Bank Group’s 2024 crude birth-rate data show a stark divide: nine of the 10 highest-birth-rate countries are in Africa, while the lowest rates cluster in East Asia and parts of Europe. The numbers—alongside fertility rates—underscore how differently
In 2024, the world’s birth-rate story read like two separate economies—one accelerating, the other slowing—measured not by jobs or markets, but by live births per 1,000 people and the average number of births per woman.
The World Bank Group reported that roughly 60 years after the post-WWII baby boom ended, the global birth rate is less than half what it was in the 1960s. The global crude birth rate stands at 16 births per 1,000 people, and the global fertility rate is 2.2 births per woman.
Yet not every country is moving the same direction. The data the World Bank Group gathered in 2024—crude birth rate and total fertility rate—produced two lists that look like opposites: the 10 highest birth-rate countries and the 10 places with the lowest. For this ranking, territories and autonomous regions such as Hong Kong were not included. The World Bank Group built its figures using data from the UN Population Division and the UN Statistical Division. as well as data from national statistics offices.
At the top of the world rankings. the Central African Republic recorded a birth rate of 46.2 births per 1. 000 people in 2024. with a fertility rate of about 6 births per woman. Chad followed with a birth rate of 43.3 and a fertility rate of about 6 births per woman. Somalia had 42.3 births per 1,000 people and a fertility rate of about 6 births per woman.
The highest-birth-rate cluster continued with Niger at 41.4 births per 1,000 people and a fertility rate of about 5.9 births per woman; the Democratic Republic of the Congo at 40.9 and about 6 births per woman; and Mali at 39.5 and about 5.5 births per woman.
Further down the same list. Angola posted a birth rate of 37.2 births per 1. 000 people with a fertility rate of about 5 births per woman. while Mozambique recorded 37 births per 1. 000 people and about 4.7 births per woman. Afghanistan was next with 35 births per 1,000 people and a fertility rate of about 4.8 births per woman. Tanzania rounded out the top 10 with 34.8 births per 1,000 people and a fertility rate of about 4.5 births per woman.
These countries aren’t just high on the crude birth-rate metric—they reflect a broader pattern the World Bank Group data highlighted: countries in Africa consistently reported the highest birth rates. accounting for nine of the top 10 countries. Among the top 10. eight reported a prevalence of contraceptives for married women of just 20% or lower. per the World Bank Group.
On the other end of the demographic spectrum. the lowest crude birth rates were concentrated in places where fertility is far closer to replacement’s long-term shortfall. China’s birth rate was 6.8 births per 1. 000 people. one of the lowest in the world. and its fertility rate was about 1 birth per woman. Greece sat at 6.6 births per 1. 000 people with a fertility rate of about 1.2 births per woman. in a tie with Lithuania. which also had a birth rate of 6.6 births per 1. 000 people and a fertility rate of about 1.1 births per woman.
Spain recorded 6.5 births per 1,000 people and a fertility rate of about 1.1 births per woman. Italy had 6.3 births per 1,000 people with a fertility rate of about 1.2 births per woman.
Two more low-birth-rate figures stood out because of how they were handled in the underlying dataset. Taiwan had a birth rate of 5.8 births per 1. 000 people in 2024. with a fertility rate of notated as not separately included as a country in the World Bank data. It carries an added explanation: the US and many other governments do not have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. though it has its own government. military. economy. and statistical agencies. Separate figures reported by Taiwan’s Ministry of the Interior and cited by China’s Xinhua News Agency show Taiwan had a crude birth rate of 5.8 births per 1. 000 people in 2024. In 2024, Taiwan recorded 134,856 newborns, out of a total population of about 23.4 million.
Japan followed with a birth rate of 5.7 births per 1,000 people in 2024 and a fertility rate of about 1.1 births per woman. Ukraine had 5.5 births per 1,000 people and a fertility rate of about 1 birth per woman. South Korea recorded 4.7 births per 1,000 people and a fertility rate of about 0.7 births per woman. At the bottom. San Marino had a birth rate of 4.2 births per 1. 000 people in 2024 with a fertility rate of about 1.2 births per woman.
Even countries not ranked at the extremes show how uneven the global picture can be. The United States had a birth rate of 10.6 births per 1. 000 people in 2024. placing it 135th-ranked in the world. and it had an average of 1.6 births per woman in 2024. The report places that below the global birth rate of 16 births per 1. 000 people and below the global fertility rate of 2.2 births per woman.
In the same section of the report, the reasons behind low birth rates in wealthier societies are framed as practical and financial. Amid declining birth rates, Americans are waiting longer to have children due to financial reasons, and many want more kids than they currently have.
A different story is attached to the very low end globally. where economic pressures are described as part of the slowdown. The Associated Press cited “bleak job prospects” and high-cost of living among factors for low birth rates in Japan. where its former prime minister called it a “silent emergency.”.
The movement is consistent even when the causes differ: birth rates are falling at different rates worldwide, with higher-income countries generally seeing lower birth rates, yet most countries share a downward trend since the 1960s.
The numbers also make one economic truth unavoidable. When countries sit at about 6 births per woman—like the Central African Republic. Chad. Somalia. and the Democratic Republic of the Congo—the future labor force and domestic demand are being shaped by momentum. When fertility drifts around 1 birth per woman—like China. Japan. Spain. Italy. Greece. Lithuania. and Ukraine—the balance tilts toward an aging population and slower natural growth.
For policymakers and businesses, this is not abstract demography. It is planning math: who will work, who will spend, who will be supported, and what happens to schooling systems, healthcare demand, and long-term investment horizons when birth rates keep sliding in different parts of the world.
birth rates 2024 crude birth rate total fertility rate World Bank Group UN Population Division UN Statistical Division demographic trends Africa Japan South Korea China San Marino Taiwan
So basically Africa is having more babies. Got it.
“Crude birth rate” sounds like a junk metric tbh. Like does that include migration or just vibes? Either way East Asia and Europe being low isn’t surprising with costs and all.
I don’t know why they’re acting shocked. If people in Europe aren’t having kids it’s probably because socialism or whatever, and in Africa it’s because… idk religion? The article keeps saying “two economies” but that’s just birth rates, not jobs lol.
“Global birth rate less than half what it was in the 1960s” is wild. My cousin in Ohio says everyone’s just scared to have kids now, like the economy is the only reason, but the article makes it sound more like fertility trends everywhere are just doing their own thing. Also I saw “Hong…” and thought it was talking about Hong Kong like that’s a country or something, so I’m a little confused how they’re counting. Either way, sounds like the future workforce is gonna be lopsided.