The number of children born on average in one year is called the birth rate or birth rate. An example of a birth rate for Germany is the year 2016, in which the statistical birth rate was 1.59 children per woman. However, this value is a purely statistical number that many people find difficult to imagine. Therefore it is better to convert this value. Accordingly, there were only 9.7 newborns for every 1,000 residents in Germany in the same year. See computerminus.com for top 10 smallest countries in the world.

Ranking of the 50 countries with the highest birth rate

Rank	Country	Birth rate per 1,000 residents
1	Niger (Africa)	50.73
2	Mali (Africa)	49.82
3	Uganda (Africa)	47.35
4	Afghanistan (Asia)	47.02
5	Sierra Leone (Africa)	45.76
6	Chad (Africa)	45.73
7	Somalia (Africa)	45.13
8	Liberia (Africa)	44.77
9	Angola (Africa)	44.64
10	Burkina Faso (Africa)	44.17
11	Democratic Republic of the Congo (Africa)	43.69
12	Malawi (Africa)	43.13
13	Yemen (Asia)	42.89
14	Congo (Africa)	42.57
15	Benin (Africa)	41.99
16	Guinea (Africa)	41.76
17	Madagascar (Africa)	41.41
18	Zambia (Africa)	41.00
19	Mauritania (Africa)	40.99
20	Mayotte (Africa)	40.95
21	Nigeria (Africa)	40.43
22	Rwanda (Africa)	40.37
23	Sao Tome and Principe (Africa)	40.25
24	Djibouti (Africa)	39.98
25	Kenya (Africa)	39.72
26	Burundi (Africa)	39.66
27	Gambia (Africa)	39.37
28	Eritrea (Africa)	38.62
29	Ethiopia (Africa)	38.61
30	Tanzania, United Republic of (Africa)	37.71
31	Guinea-Bissau (Africa)	37.22
32	Togo (Africa)	37.01
33	Comoros (Africa)	36.93
34	Haiti (North America)	36.44
35	Oman (Asia)	36.24
36	Equatorial Guinea (Africa)	36.18
37	Gabon (Africa)	36.16
38	Palestinian Territories (Asia)	35.70
39	Ivory Coast (Africa)	35.51
40	Laos (Asia)	35.49
41	Mozambique (Africa)	35.18
42	Maldives (Asia)	34.81
43	Sudan (Africa)	34.53
44	Bhutan (Asia)	34.03
45	Central African Republic (Africa)	33.91
46	Cameroon (Africa)	33.89
47	Marshall Islands (Australia-Oceania)	33.05
48	Senegal (Africa)	32.78
49	Tajikistan (Asia)	32.65
50	Iraq (Asia)	31.98

This country comparison takes 222 countries into account.

Birth rate per 1,000 population statistics

feature	value
Number of countries covered	222
average	22.17
Median	18.90
minimum	7.29
maximum	50.73
Standard deviation	11.15

Germany has a very low birth rate

With this value, Germany ranks at the bottom of a global comparison. A different situation prevails in other European countries, for example, in which the birth rate is sometimes higher. For example, France even has a birth rate of 2 children per woman. But there are also opposites to these values. Because in some European countries the birth rate is even lower than in Germany. Examples are Spain or Italy with a birth rate of 1.34 children per woman. A completely different situation prevails in African countries like Angola or Niger. Around 48 babies are born here every year for every 1,000 residents.

Different countries, different conditions

In general, the list of the top 10 countries with the highest birth rate indicates that this value is not as high in any other country in the world as it is in Africa. In addition to Niger and Angola, Chad, Mali, Somalia, Congo, Uganda and Gambia also make up the list of countries with the highest birth rate. The reasons for these statistics are easy to find. Almost one in four women living in developing countries does not use contraceptives, even though pregnancies are undesirable. But other laws prevail in African families. Here it is mostly the fathers who decide on family planning. Nevertheless, women in Africa usually have a great desire to have children. It is said that the pressure on childless women is enormous. Many Africans consider a high number of children to be an indication of wealth.

The birth rate is unevenly distributed in Africa

However, there are also some regional differences here. Because while the birth rate in South and North Africa or in the Arab region is around 2.5 per woman, this proportion is increasing dramatically in Central, West and East Africa. This high rate is due in turn to particularly populous countries such as Congo and Nigeria.

Declining birth rates worldwide

Considering the number of children per woman, there has been a remarkable development over the past hundred years. While the birth rate was just under six children per woman in pre-industrial times, the proportion fell to five in the first half of the 20th century. A clear decline took place in the 1970s. Today the average worldwide is 2.47 children. Scientists speak of a stable level with a value of 2.1 children per woman. Because not every child automatically reaches the reproductive age. This value is likely to have been reached around 2065.

What will the future bring?

One reason for the rising population despite falling birth rates is a combination of so-called demographic momentum and increased life expectancy. The population can only be said to have remained stable if the baby boom cohorts have also started families in recent decades. As a result, the effects of a lower birth rate can only be felt with a significant delay.