A global ranking of countries and territories by fertility rate, based on the latest international data on the average number of children born per woman.
The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) measures the average number of children a woman would have over her lifetime based on current birth rates.
Declining fertility rates are often associated with greater access to education, improvements in women’s rights, and increased economic development.
Having fewer children can significantly reduce long-term environmental impact. A 2017 analysis estimated that having fewer children reduces a parent’s carbon footprint by 58.6 tonnes of CO₂ a year.
10 lowest and highest fertility rates
The following lists show the countries with the lowest and highest fertility rates, based on the latest international data. The full ranking further below includes both countries and territories.
Lowest fertility rates
- Republic of Korea (South Korea)
- Singapore
- Ukraine
- China
- Andorra
- Malta
- Chile
- San Marino
- Thailand
- United Arab Emirates
Highest fertility rates
- Chad
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Somalia
- Central African Republic
- Niger
- Mali
- Angola
- Burundi
- Afghanistan
- Mozambique
Key findings
- The global average fertility rate is 2.23 children per woman in 2026.
- Chad has the highest fertility rate, with an average of 5.84 children per woman.
- Macao SAR has the world’s lowest fertility rate, at 0.70 children per woman.
- Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest regional fertility rate, averaging about 4.11 children per woman.
- Eastern and South-Eastern Asia has the lowest fertility rate, averaging about 1.35 children per woman.
- A declining fertility rate does not necessarily mean a shrinking population, as life expectancy continues to grow globally.
- 126 countries and territories have a fertility rate below 2.0, which is below the replacement level fertility rate of about 2.1 children per woman.
- Nine of the 10 countries with the highest fertility rates are in Africa.
- More economically developed countries – including most of Europe, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, the United States, New Zealand, and Australia – tend to have lower fertility rates.
Fertility rate by country – complete ranking
The table below ranks the world’s countries and territories by fertility rate using Total Fertility Rate (TFR), which measures the average number of children per woman.
The figures are based on 2026 estimates from the United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 Revision, which provides internationally comparable demographic projections for countries worldwide.
Some countries may be missing due to inadequate data.
| Rank | Country | Children Born per Woman |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chad | 5.84 |
| 2 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 5.80 |
| 2 | Somalia | 5.80 |
| 4 | Central African Republic | 5.69 |
| 5 | Niger | 5.64 |
| 6 | Mali | 5.33 |
| 7 | Angola | 4.89 |
| 8 | Burundi | 4.57 |
| 9 | Afghanistan | 4.56 |
| 10 | Mozambique | 4.54 |
| 11 | Mauritania | 4.48 |
| 12 | Mayotte | 4.43 |
| 13 | United Republic of Tanzania | 4.41 |
| 14 | Benin | 4.34 |
| 15 | Yemen | 4.33 |
| 16 | Nigeria | 4.20 |
| 17 | Sudan | 4.13 |
| 18 | Cameroon | 4.12 |
| 19 | Côte d'Ivoire | 4.10 |
| 20 | Togo | 4.01 |
| 21 | Congo | 3.99 |
| 22 | Uganda | 3.97 |
| 23 | Guinea | 3.96 |
| 24 | Equatorial Guinea | 3.95 |
| 25 | Burkina Faso | 3.91 |
| 25 | Zambia | 3.91 |
| 27 | Madagascar | 3.78 |
| 28 | Ethiopia | 3.72 |
| 29 | Comoros | 3.71 |
| 29 | Liberia | 3.71 |
| 31 | Gambia | 3.70 |
| 31 | Samoa | 3.70 |
| 33 | Senegal | 3.66 |
| 34 | South Sudan | 3.63 |
| 35 | Guinea-Bissau | 3.62 |
| 36 | Zimbabwe | 3.57 |
| 37 | Eritrea | 3.55 |
| 38 | Rwanda | 3.54 |
| 39 | Sierra Leone | 3.53 |
| 40 | Vanuatu | 3.50 |
| 41 | Gabon | 3.49 |
| 42 | Sao Tome and Principe | 3.47 |
| 43 | Malawi | 3.45 |
| 44 | Pakistan | 3.44 |
| 45 | Solomon Islands | 3.42 |
| 46 | Uzbekistan | 3.40 |
| 47 | Ghana | 3.26 |
| 48 | French Guiana | 3.25 |
| 49 | Nauru | 3.20 |
| 50 | State of Palestine | 3.13 |
| 50 | Iraq | 3.13 |
| 50 | Namibia | 3.13 |
| 53 | Tuvalu | 3.10 |
| 54 | Kenya | 3.07 |
| 55 | Kiribati | 3.06 |
| 56 | Tonga | 3.04 |
| 57 | Papua New Guinea | 2.99 |
| 58 | Tajikistan | 2.96 |
| 59 | Kazakhstan | 2.92 |
| 60 | Marshall Islands | 2.77 |
| 61 | Israel | 2.73 |
| 62 | Kyrgyzstan | 2.72 |
| 63 | Guam | 2.68 |
| 63 | Egypt | 2.68 |
| 65 | Micronesia (Fed. States of) | 2.67 |
| 66 | Eswatini | 2.64 |
| 67 | Botswana | 2.63 |
| 68 | Algeria | 2.62 |
| 68 | Syrian Arab Republic | 2.62 |
| 70 | Lesotho | 2.61 |
| 71 | Turkmenistan | 2.60 |
| 72 | Saint Martin (French part) | 2.59 |
| 73 | Haiti | 2.55 |
| 74 | Djibouti | 2.54 |
| 74 | Jordan | 2.54 |
| 74 | Mongolia | 2.54 |
| 74 | Tokelau | 2.54 |
| 78 | Timor-Leste | 2.50 |
| 79 | Cambodia | 2.49 |
| 80 | Bolivia (Plurinational State of) | 2.47 |
| 81 | Oman | 2.44 |
| 81 | Niue | 2.44 |
| 83 | Honduras | 2.42 |
| 84 | Paraguay | 2.37 |
| 85 | Guyana | 2.35 |
| 86 | Lao People's Democratic Republic | 2.33 |
| 87 | Saudi Arabia | 2.27 |
| 88 | Northern Mariana Islands | 2.24 |
| 89 | Fiji | 2.23 |
| 89 | Guatemala | 2.23 |
| 91 | American Samoa | 2.22 |
| 92 | Libya | 2.21 |
| 93 | Faroe Islands | 2.19 |
| 93 | Lebanon | 2.19 |
| 93 | Suriname | 2.19 |
| 96 | Dominican Republic | 2.17 |
| 96 | South Africa | 2.17 |
| 98 | Morocco | 2.16 |
| 98 | Nicaragua | 2.16 |
| 100 | Western Sahara | 2.13 |
| 101 | Réunion | 2.12 |
| 102 | Bangladesh | 2.09 |
| 103 | Indonesia | 2.08 |
| 103 | Monaco | 2.08 |
| 105 | Panama | 2.07 |
| 106 | Myanmar | 2.06 |
| 106 | Seychelles | 2.06 |
| 108 | United States Virgin Islands | 2.05 |
| 109 | Guadeloupe | 2.04 |
| 109 | Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) | 2.04 |
| 111 | Belize | 1.99 |
| 112 | Cook Islands | 1.97 |
| 113 | Martinique | 1.95 |
| 114 | Sri Lanka | 1.93 |
| 114 | India | 1.93 |
| 114 | New Caledonia | 1.93 |
| 117 | Nepal | 1.92 |
| 117 | Peru | 1.92 |
| 119 | Greenland | 1.90 |
| 120 | Gibraltar | 1.88 |
| 121 | Philippines | 1.86 |
| 121 | Viet Nam | 1.86 |
| 123 | Mexico | 1.85 |
| 124 | Palau | 1.84 |
| 125 | Montenegro | 1.79 |
| 125 | Tunisia | 1.79 |
| 127 | Ecuador | 1.78 |
| 127 | Georgia | 1.78 |
| 129 | Bahrain | 1.77 |
| 130 | Dem. People's Rep. of Korea | 1.75 |
| 131 | Bulgaria | 1.74 |
| 131 | El Salvador | 1.74 |
| 133 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 1.73 |
| 134 | Republic of Moldova | 1.72 |
| 135 | Armenia | 1.71 |
| 135 | Romania | 1.71 |
| 137 | Barbados | 1.70 |
| 137 | Brunei Darussalam | 1.70 |
| 139 | Falkland Islands (Malvinas) | 1.69 |
| 139 | Qatar | 1.69 |
| 141 | Azerbaijan | 1.66 |
| 141 | Iran (Islamic Republic of) | 1.66 |
| 143 | Australia | 1.64 |
| 143 | France | 1.64 |
| 143 | New Zealand | 1.64 |
| 143 | Saint Helena | 1.64 |
| 147 | Türkiye | 1.62 |
| 147 | United States of America | 1.62 |
| 149 | Aruba | 1.61 |
| 150 | Colombia | 1.60 |
| 150 | Ireland | 1.60 |
| 152 | Brazil | 1.59 |
| 153 | Slovenia | 1.58 |
| 154 | Antigua and Barbuda | 1.57 |
| 154 | Slovakia | 1.57 |
| 156 | Liechtenstein | 1.54 |
| 157 | Maldives | 1.53 |
| 157 | United Kingdom | 1.53 |
| 157 | Isle of Man | 1.53 |
| 160 | Denmark | 1.52 |
| 160 | Kosovo | 1.52 |
| 160 | Malaysia | 1.52 |
| 160 | Portugal | 1.52 |
| 160 | Trinidad and Tobago | 1.52 |
| 165 | Argentina | 1.51 |
| 165 | Serbia | 1.51 |
| 167 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1.50 |
| 167 | Cayman Islands | 1.50 |
| 167 | Hungary | 1.50 |
| 167 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 1.50 |
| 171 | Cabo Verde | 1.49 |
| 171 | Iceland | 1.49 |
| 171 | Kuwait | 1.49 |
| 174 | Croatia | 1.47 |
| 174 | Czechia | 1.47 |
| 174 | French Polynesia | 1.47 |
| 174 | Russian Federation | 1.47 |
| 174 | North Macedonia | 1.47 |
| 179 | Dominica | 1.46 |
| 179 | Germany | 1.46 |
| 181 | Cuba | 1.45 |
| 181 | Grenada | 1.45 |
| 181 | Montserrat | 1.45 |
| 181 | Switzerland | 1.45 |
| 185 | Netherlands | 1.44 |
| 185 | Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba | 1.44 |
| 185 | Sweden | 1.44 |
| 188 | Bhutan | 1.43 |
| 188 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 1.43 |
| 190 | Bermuda | 1.42 |
| 190 | Sint Maarten (Dutch part) | 1.42 |
| 190 | Norway | 1.42 |
| 193 | Luxembourg | 1.41 |
| 194 | Belgium | 1.40 |
| 195 | Wallis and Futuna Islands | 1.39 |
| 196 | Estonia | 1.38 |
| 196 | Jersey | 1.38 |
| 196 | Uruguay | 1.38 |
| 199 | Cyprus | 1.37 |
| 199 | Saint Lucia | 1.37 |
| 199 | Guernsey | 1.37 |
| 202 | Bahamas | 1.36 |
| 203 | Latvia | 1.35 |
| 204 | Austria | 1.34 |
| 204 | Greece | 1.34 |
| 204 | Anguilla | 1.34 |
| 207 | Canada | 1.33 |
| 207 | Jamaica | 1.33 |
| 209 | Albania | 1.32 |
| 210 | Costa Rica | 1.31 |
| 210 | Poland | 1.31 |
| 212 | Finland | 1.30 |
| 213 | Saint Pierre and Miquelon | 1.28 |
| 214 | Spain | 1.24 |
| 215 | Belarus | 1.23 |
| 215 | Japan | 1.23 |
| 217 | Italy | 1.22 |
| 217 | Lithuania | 1.22 |
| 219 | Mauritius | 1.21 |
| 219 | United Arab Emirates | 1.21 |
| 221 | Thailand | 1.19 |
| 222 | San Marino | 1.17 |
| 223 | Chile | 1.12 |
| 223 | Malta | 1.12 |
| 225 | Andorra | 1.11 |
| 226 | British Virgin Islands | 1.07 |
| 226 | Curaçao | 1.07 |
| 228 | China | 1.03 |
| 229 | Ukraine | 1.00 |
| 230 | Singapore | 0.97 |
| 231 | Puerto Rico | 0.94 |
| 232 | China, Taiwan Province of China | 0.86 |
| 233 | Saint Barthélemy | 0.84 |
| 234 | Republic of Korea | 0.76 |
| 235 | China, Hong Kong SAR | 0.75 |
| 236 | China, Macao SAR | 0.70 |
Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024 Revision. Data retrieved from the UN Population Division database.
Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. With seven years of teaching experience and a background in educational content, she specialises in creating clear reference resources about countries, geography and global topics.