Total Fertility Rate by Country: Global Birth Patterns Compared
Highest Fertility Rates in the 2024 World Bank and UN Dataset
Chad has the highest total fertility rate in this 2026 snapshot, at 6.028 births per woman. The ranking compares the 50 highest country and economy values reported for 2024 in the World Bank WDI fertility indicator, which draws on World Population Prospects from the UN Population Division, national statistical offices and Eurostat.
Total fertility rate is a period indicator: it estimates how many children a woman would have over her lifetime if current age-specific fertility rates applied through her childbearing years. Higher values rank higher. The unit is births per woman, and all entries use the same target year, 2024.
The table focuses on the 50 highest fertility rates rather than every country in the dataset. These values are internationally harmonized demographic estimates, so they should not be read as a simple count of babies born in each country.
Chad ranks first in the 2024 World Bank and UN-based values, measured in births per woman.
West Bank and Gaza is the 50th entry within this high-fertility table.
Seven entries in the Top 50 are above five births per woman.
Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 80% of the entries in this Top 50.
Overview: what total fertility rate shows
Total fertility rate helps compare current birth patterns across countries and economies. It is not the same as the number of births, because a small country can have a high fertility rate but far fewer babies born than a large country with a lower rate.
The 2024 high-fertility group is concentrated in Sub-Saharan Africa, with Afghanistan, Yemen, Samoa, Vanuatu, Pakistan, Solomon Islands, Uzbekistan, French Guiana, Nauru and West Bank and Gaza also appearing in the Top 50. The table shows where fertility remains well above the replacement benchmark often discussed around 2.1 births per woman in low-mortality settings.
A high fertility rate does not automatically mean faster population growth. Population change also depends on mortality, migration, the number of people already at childbearing ages and past fertility patterns.
Why fertility rates differ across countries
Differences in fertility rates are usually linked to several forces rather than one single cause. Common factors include child survival, age at marriage, women’s education, household income, urbanization, access to reproductive health services, cultural expectations, conflict and the cost of raising children.
These factors do not work in the same way everywhere. A national TFR can also hide large urban-rural, income and education differences inside the same country. For that reason, this ranking is best used as a country-level comparison, not as a complete explanation of family decisions.
Top 10 countries and economies by total fertility rate
The top of the ranking is very close: Chad, Somalia, Congo, Dem. Rep., Central African Republic and Niger are all near six births per woman. The value falls below five after Angola, which ranks seventh.
Top 10 highest total fertility rates, 2024
| Rank | Entity | Value | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chad | 6.028 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 2 | Somalia | 6.013 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 3 | Congo, Dem. Rep. | 5.981 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 4 | Central African Republic | 5.954 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 5 | Niger | 5.935 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 6 | Mali | 5.510 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 7 | Angola | 5.048 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 8 | Burundi | 4.789 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 9 | Afghanistan | 4.761 | South Asia |
| 10 | Mozambique | 4.690 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
Values are births per woman. The table uses 2024 World Bank WDI values based on UN World Population Prospects and related statistical sources.
Chart: Top 20 entries by births per woman
The bar chart uses the same 2024 values as the ranking table. Bar width is relative to Chad, the highest value in this snapshot.
Methodology
The metric is total fertility rate, measured in births per woman. The ranking uses World Bank WDI indicator SP.DYN.TFRT.IN for 2024. The World Bank source statement cites World Population Prospects from the UN Population Division, statistical databases and publications from national statistical offices, and Eurostat.
How to read the value
A value of 6.028 means 6.028 births per woman under the period fertility-rate definition. It is not a count of births and not a population-growth rate.
Why decimals are shown
Values are ranked before rounding and displayed to three decimals so close countries can be compared without changing the order.
Included entries
The table includes the 50 highest 2024 country and economy values. Regional aggregates and income-group aggregates are excluded.
What is not measured
The metric does not measure total births, crude birth rate, migration, mortality, desired family size, policy quality, poverty or subnational differences.
Rank is based on the numeric fertility value, with higher births per woman ranked higher. The range between rank 1 and rank 50 is 2.778 births per woman, calculated as 6.028 minus 3.250. The Top 50 median is 4.073, calculated from ranks 25 and 26.
World Population Prospects combines official demographic data with standardized estimation methods so countries can be compared in one international dataset. If the source updates its values later, the ranking can change.
Main ranking: Top 50 total fertility rates by country and economy
Search by country or economy, filter by region, and sort the table by rank, value or name.
Highest 50 total fertility rates, 2024
| Rank | Entity | Value | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chad | 6.028 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 2 | Somalia | 6.013 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 3 | Congo, Dem. Rep. | 5.981 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 4 | Central African Republic | 5.954 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 5 | Niger | 5.935 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 6 | Mali | 5.510 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 7 | Angola | 5.048 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 8 | Burundi | 4.789 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 9 | Afghanistan | 4.761 | South Asia |
| 10 | Mozambique | 4.690 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 11 | Mauritania | 4.625 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 12 | Mayotte | 4.562 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 13 | Tanzania | 4.541 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 14 | Yemen | 4.499 | Middle East & North Africa |
| 15 | Benin | 4.480 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 16 | Nigeria | 4.382 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 17 | Sudan | 4.264 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 18 | Cameroon | 4.261 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 19 | Cote d'Ivoire | 4.230 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 20 | Uganda | 4.165 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 21 | Guinea | 4.131 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 22 | Togo | 4.122 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 23 | Equatorial Guinea | 4.116 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 24 | Burkina Faso | 4.110 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 25 | Congo, Rep. | 4.109 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 26 | Zambia | 4.036 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 27 | Madagascar | 3.912 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 28 | Ethiopia | 3.909 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 29 | Gambia, The | 3.907 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 30 | Liberia | 3.864 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 31 | Comoros | 3.822 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 32 | Samoa | 3.801 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 33 | South Sudan | 3.785 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 34 | Senegal | 3.765 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 35 | Guinea-Bissau | 3.757 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 36 | Sierra Leone | 3.703 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 37 | Eritrea | 3.680 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 38 | Zimbabwe | 3.674 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 39 | Rwanda | 3.645 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 40 | Sao Tome and Principe | 3.596 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 41 | Gabon | 3.592 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 42 | Malawi | 3.590 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 43 | Vanuatu | 3.569 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 44 | Pakistan | 3.547 | South Asia |
| 45 | Solomon Islands | 3.513 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 46 | Uzbekistan | 3.486 | Europe & Central Asia |
| 47 | Ghana | 3.344 | Sub-Saharan Africa |
| 48 | French Guiana | 3.341 | Latin America & Caribbean |
| 49 | Nauru | 3.290 | East Asia & Pacific |
| 50 | West Bank and Gaza | 3.250 | Middle East & North Africa |
All rows use 2024 World Bank WDI fertility-rate values based on UN World Population Prospects and related statistical sources. Values are shown to three decimals after ranking from numeric values.
Insights from the total fertility ranking
Key insight
The highest values remain near six births per woman. The gap between Chad and Niger, ranked fifth, is only 0.093 births per woman.
Notable pattern
Seven entries are above five births per woman, while 26 entries are at or above four births per woman.
Regional concentration
Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 40 of the 50 entries, including 18 of the Top 20.
Outlier
Afghanistan is the only South Asian entry in the Top 10, ranking ninth at 4.761 births per woman.
What this ranking means for readers
This ranking helps identify where current fertility patterns are highest, but it should not be treated as a direct ranking of population growth. Fertility is only one part of demographic change.
For planning, high TFR values can point to future demand for maternal care, childcare, schools and youth employment. The same national values can hide large internal differences, especially between urban and rural areas or between education and income groups.
The safest way to read the table is as a comparable international snapshot: one fertility indicator, one unit, one target year and one primary data source. It does not explain every social, economic or policy reason behind each country’s fertility pattern.
FAQ
Which country has the highest total fertility rate in this ranking?
Chad ranks first, with a 2024 total fertility rate of 6.028 births per woman.
What year does the ranking use?
The target year is 2024. This is a 2026 snapshot because 2024 is the latest year shown in the World Bank WDI indicator used for the table.
What does births per woman mean?
It means the number of children a woman would have over her lifetime if the current age-specific fertility rates applied through her childbearing years.
Is this the same as the number of babies born?
No. Total births depend on population size and age structure. A large country with a lower fertility rate can have more births than a small country with a higher fertility rate.
Why is replacement-level fertility often discussed around 2.1?
About 2.1 births per woman is commonly used as a rough replacement benchmark in low-mortality populations. The exact replacement level varies mainly with mortality and the sex ratio at birth.
Why are countries and economies both included?
The World Bank dataset reports countries and economies. This table follows that coverage and keeps the names used by the dataset where relevant.
Why does the table use West Bank and Gaza?
West Bank and Gaza is the name used by the World Bank dataset for this entry. Other datasets may use broader political wording.
What should not be concluded from this ranking?
It should not be used as a direct measure of poverty, women’s rights, total births, migration, policy success or future population size. It measures one fertility indicator only.
Sources
World Bank Data — Fertility rate, total (births per woman)
Primary indicator page for SP.DYN.TFRT.IN, including the indicator label, year coverage, data downloads and source statement.
World Bank World Development Indicators
Source environment for internationally comparable country and economy indicators, including population and fertility series.
United Nations Population Division — World Population Prospects 2024
Underlying UN demographic source cited by the World Bank fertility-rate indicator.
World Bank API documentation
Reference for World Bank country and indicator query structure used for repeatable access to indicator data.
