Mapped: Birth Rates Around the World in 2025

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Mapped: Birth Rates Around the World in 2025

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Key Takeaways

• The global birth rate has projected at 16.1 births per 1,000 people in 2025, continuing a decades-long decline.
• Several Sub-Saharan African countries still record rates above 40 per 1,000, among the highest in the world.
• Many advanced economies now have birth rates below 10 per 1,000, fueling concerns about aging populations and shrinking workforces.

Birth rates are falling across much of the world—but not everywhere.

According to the UN World Population Prospects 2024, the global birth rate in 2025 was projected at 16.1 births per 1,000 people. Yet this average masks a stark demographic divide: while much of Europe and East Asia faces record-low fertility, parts of Sub-Saharan Africa continue to record some of the highest birth rates globally.

This widening gap is reshaping economies, labor markets, and long-term growth prospects. Countries with persistently low birth rates are grappling with aging populations and rising dependency ratios, while higher-growth regions face different pressures tied to rapid population expansion.

Where Birth Rates Are Highest

Countries with the highest birth rates are overwhelmingly concentrated in Sub-Saharan Africa, alongside a few countries in the Middle East and Asia.

The table below shows the projected crude birth rates by country:

Rank	Country	Crude birth rate (births per 1,000 people)
1	Central African Republic	46.9
2	Chad	44.7
3	Somalia	43.3
4	Niger	42.1
5	Democratic Republic of Congo	41.7
6	Mali	40.3
7	Angola	37.7
8	Mozambique	37.7
9	Afghanistan	35.4
10	Tanzania	35.3
11	Uganda	34.7
12	Mauritania	34.6
13	Yemen	34.5
14	Benin	33.9
15	Cameroon	33.7
16	Guinea	33.5
17	Burundi	33.4
18	Zambia	33.3
19	Nigeria	32.8
20	Sudan	32.8
21	Madagascar	32.0
22	Côte d’Ivoire	31.9
23	Malawi	31.6
24	Ethiopia	31.6
25	Burkina Faso	31.5
26	Togo	31.1
27	Liberia	30.9
28	Congo	30.9
29	Equatorial Guinea	30.3
30	Sierra Leone	30.1
31	Zimbabwe	30.1
32	South Sudan	30.0
33	Gambia	29.9
34	Guinea-Bissau	29.7
35	Senegal	29.6
36	Eritrea	29.2
37	São Tomé and Príncipe	28.4
38	Rwanda	28.3
39	Comoros	28.3
40	Vanuatu	27.8
41	Pakistan	27.5
42	Palestine	27.4
43	Kenya	27.3
44	Gabon	27.2
45	Solomon Islands	27.1
46	Ghana	26.1
47	Namibia	26.0
48	Iraq	25.8
49	Kiribati	25.2
50	Uzbekistan	25.1
51	Tajikistan	25.0
52	Samoa	24.8
53	Syria	24.4
54	Papua New Guinea	24.3
55	Botswana	24.3
56	Nauru	24.2
57	Lesotho	23.7
58	Eswatini	23.5
59	Tonga	22.7
60	Micronesia	22.2
61	Timor-Leste	21.9
62	Haiti	21.9
63	Honduras	21.7
64	Bolivia	21.1
65	Egypt	21.0
66	Djibouti	20.9
67	Tuvalu	20.8
68	Laos	20.8
69	Kyrgyzstan	20.7
70	Guatemala	20.7
71	Turkmenistan	20.4
72	Cambodia	20.1
73	Jordan	20.1
74	Bangladesh	19.8
75	Guyana	19.6
76	Paraguay	19.6
77	Kazakhstan	19.2
78	Nicaragua	19.1
79	Marshall Islands	19.0
80	Nepal	18.6
81	South Africa	18.4
82	Algeria	18.3
83	Belize	18.0
84	Fiji	17.7
85	Mongolia	17.4
86	Dominican Republic	17.4
87	Israel	17.2
88	Suriname	17.1
89	Oman	17.1
90	Myanmar	16.3
91	Libya	16.3
92	Morocco	16.3
93	Saudi Arabia	16.0
94	Lebanon	15.9
95	Philippines	15.9
96	India	15.9
97	Panama	15.9
98	Indonesia	15.7
99	Peru	15.7
100	El Salvador	15.4
101	Venezuela	15.4
102	Mexico	15.3
103	Ecuador	14.8
104	Seychelles	14.6
105	Sri Lanka	14.5
106	Western Sahara	14.0
107	New Caledonia	13.9
108	Vietnam	13.2
109	Brunei	13.1
110	Colombia	13.1
111	Tunisia	13.1
112	Greenland	13.0
113	Moldova	13.0
114	Kosovo	12.8
115	North Korea	12.6
116	Bhutan	12.4
117	Malaysia	12.4
118	Bahrain	12.3
119	Turkey	12.3
120	Iran	12.3
121	Cape Verde	12.1
122	Brazil	11.9
123	Azerbaijan	11.8
124	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	11.7
125	Antigua and Barbuda	11.6
126	Armenia	11.5
127	Saint Kitts and Nevis	11.5
128	Georgia	11.5
129	Trinidad and Tobago	11.4
130	Grenada	11.3
131	Jamaica	11.2
132	Australia	11.2
133	Montenegro	11.2
134	Argentina	11.1
135	Barbados	11.0
136	Saint Lucia	11.0
137	New Zealand	11.0
138	Iceland	10.8
139	United States	10.8
140	Dominica	10.8
141	Bahamas	10.7
142	Palau	10.5
143	United Arab Emirates	10.5
144	Qatar	10.5
145	Cyprus	10.3
146	Luxembourg	10.3
147	Maldives	10.2
148	Albania	10.1
149	Denmark	9.9
150	Costa Rica	9.9
151	United Kingdom	9.8
152	Kuwait	9.8
153	Ireland	9.8
154	Uruguay	9.7
155	Netherlands	9.7
156	Monaco	9.6
157	Norway	9.5
158	Bulgaria	9.4
159	Romania	9.4
160	France	9.3
161	Liechtenstein	9.2
162	Sweden	9.2
163	Slovakia	9.2
164	North Macedonia	9.1
165	Mauritius	9.1
166	Switzerland	9.1
167	Serbia	8.8
168	Hungary	8.8
169	Canada	8.7
170	Russia	8.7
171	Chile	8.6
172	Belgium	8.5
173	Cuba	8.5
174	Germany	8.5
175	Singapore	8.3
176	Austria	8.2
177	Poland	8.1
178	Slovenia	8.1
179	Croatia	8.0
180	Portugal	8.0
181	Czechia	8.0
182	Thailand	8.0
183	Finland	7.8
184	Estonia	7.7
185	Bosnia and Herzegovina	7.7
186	Lithuania	7.7
187	Malta	7.4
188	Latvia	7.4
189	Andorra	6.9
190	Belarus	6.8
191	Spain	6.8
192	Greece	6.6
193	Italy	6.5
194	China	6.2
195	Japan	6.0
196	Puerto Rico	6.0
197	Ukraine	5.8
198	San Marino	5.7
199	Taiwan	5.4
200	South Korea	4.8
	World	16.1

The gap between the highest- and lowest-birth-rate countries exceeds 40 births per 1,000 people.

The Central African Republic leads birth rates globally, with nearly 47 births per 1,000 people, followed closely by Chad, Somalia, Niger, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In these countries, large family sizes are common, and populations tend to be younger, with a high share of women in childbearing age.

High birth rates are also prevalent in parts of the Middle East and South Asia, including Afghanistan, Yemen, and Pakistan, where fertility remains elevated despite gradual declines over time.

Meanwhile, India and China continue to lead in the total number of births worldwide, although their birth rates are relatively lower.

Low Birth Rates in Advanced Economies

At the other end of the spectrum, many developed economies now have birth rates well below the global average.

Countries such as South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Italy, and Spain record fewer than 7 births per 1,000 people, reflecting delayed family formation, high housing costs, and changing social norms. Several European countries, including Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, also fall into this low-birth-rate group.

Some of these countries are also among the world’s super-aged societies, where more than 20% of the population are aged over 65 years.

Why Birth Rates Matter

When birth rates remain below the replacement level (2.1 births per woman) for extended periods, countries face shrinking workforces, rising dependency ratios, and mounting pressure on social security and healthcare systems. Over time, populations begin to shrink and age, creating long-term economic challenges.

In contrast, very high birth rates can strain education, infrastructure, and job creation if economic growth does not keep pace.

As a result, governments across the world are increasingly focused on addressing population challenges and demographic policy, whether through family incentives, childcare support, or immigration.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

If you found this infographic interesting, explore more population and demographic insights on Voronoi, including The World’s Population as 1000 People.