Countries with Highest Fertility Rate
Niger and Chad typically lead the world in fertility rates, with averages exceeding 6 births per woman. Sub-Saharan African countries dominate the top of this ranking, driven by a combination of cultural factors, limited access to contraception, and lower levels of female education.
The global replacement rate is 2.1 births per woman, the level needed to maintain a stable population. Many European and East Asian countries now sit well below this threshold, leading to aging populations and shrinking workforces.
This ranking uses total fertility rate data from the World Bank and the United Nations Population Division.
The ranking
| 1 |  | Somalia | 6.13 |
| 2 |  | Chad | 6.12 |
| 3 |  | Niger | 6.06 |
| 4 |  | DR Congo | 6.05 |
| 5 |  | Central African Republic | 6.01 |
| 6 |  | Mali | 5.61 |
| 7 |  | Angola | 5.12 |
| 8 |  | Burundi | 4.88 |
| 9 |  | Afghanistan | 4.84 |
| 10 |  | Mozambique | 4.76 |
| 11 |  | Mauritania | 4.7 |
| 12 |  | Tanzania | 4.61 |
| 13 |  | Yemen | 4.59 |
| 14 |  | Benin | 4.56 |
| 15 |  | Nigeria | 4.48 |
| 16 |  | Sudan | 4.32 |
| 17 |  | Cameroon | 4.32 |
| 18 |  | Ivory Coast | 4.28 |
| 18 |  | Uganda | 4.28 |
| 20 |  | Guinea | 4.22 |
| 21 |  | Togo | 4.19 |
| 22 |  | Burkina Faso | 4.19 |
| 23 |  | Republic of the Congo | 4.16 |
| 24 |  | Zambia | 4.1 |
| 25 |  | Equatorial Guinea | 4.08 |
| 26 |  | Gambia | 4.01 |
| 27 |  | Ethiopia | 3.99 |
| 28 |  | Madagascar | 3.97 |
| 29 |  | Liberia | 3.95 |
| 30 |  | Comoros | 3.88 |
| 31 |  | South Sudan | 3.86 |
| 32 |  | Guinea-Bissau | 3.84 |
| 33 |  | Samoa | 3.83 |
| 34 |  | Senegal | 3.82 |
| 35 |  | Sierra Leone | 3.79 |
| 36 |  | Zimbabwe | 3.72 |
| 37 |  | Eritrea | 3.71 |
| 38 |  | Rwanda | 3.7 |
| 39 |  | Malawi | 3.65 |
| 40 |  | Gabon | 3.65 |
| 41 |  | São Tomé and Príncipe | 3.64 |
| 42 |  | Pakistan | 3.61 |
| 43 |  | Vanuatu | 3.6 |
| 44 |  | Solomon Islands | 3.56 |
| 45 |  | Uzbekistan | 3.5 |
| 46 |  | Ghana | 3.4 |
| 47 |  | Nauru | 3.33 |
| 48 |  | Palestine | 3.31 |
| 49 |  | Iraq | 3.25 |
| 50 |  | Namibia | 3.21 |
Questions
Which country has the highest fertility rate?
Niger has the highest fertility rate in the world, with approximately 7 births per woman. High fertility in Niger is driven by limited access to contraception, early marriage, and low female education rates.
What are the top 5 countries by fertility rate?
The top 5 countries by fertility rate are: 1. Niger (~7.0), 2. Chad (~6.4), 3. Somalia (~6.1), 4. Mali (~6.0), 5. DR Congo (~6.0), all in Sub-Saharan Africa.