Highest birth rates
Crude birth rate per thousand population. Sub-Saharan Africa dominates — Niger has the highest sustained birth rate of any country on record.
Headline finding
Niger leads the world for highest birth rates at 46.5 births per 1,000 people.
The full top 25: Highest birth rates
Click any country to read its full profile.
- 1 Niger 46.5
- 2 Somalia 42.4
- 3 Chad 41.7
- 4 Angola 41.3
- 5 Mali 41.0
- 6 DR Congo 40.4
- 7 Central African Rep. 38.9
- 8 Burundi 36.7
- 9 Mozambique 38.0
- 10 Uganda 37.6
- 11 Tanzania 36.4
- 12 Burkina Faso 35.6
- 13 Nigeria 36.9
- 14 Sierra Leone 30.0
- 15 Senegal 34.0
- 16 Guinea 34.4
- 17 Malawi 32.7
- 18 Zambia 33.5
- 19 Liberia 32.7
- 20 Ethiopia 31.6
- 21 Ghana 27.5
- 22 Madagascar 30.0
- 23 Kenya 27.7
- 24 Afghanistan 30.6
- 25 Rwanda 28.3
What the numbers show
Niger's lead at the top of this ranking is 9.7% above the second-place country — a margin tight enough that the top spot has changed hands within the last five years and could change again.
The five countries leading the table — Niger, Somalia, Chad, Angola, Mali — together set the global benchmark. The next 20 countries fill the rest of the table, with Rwanda anchoring the list at 28.3.
Figures are drawn from UN World Population Prospects 2024. We use this source because it produces a single, internally consistent dataset rather than aggregating from national statistics offices, which makes year-on-year comparison reliable. The next update is expected when the source publishes its next annual release — see the methodology section below for which year of data is currently shown.
Methodology and caveats
- What this measures
- births per 1,000 people
- Source
- UN World Population Prospects 2024
- Coverage
- Top 25 countries shown. Full source dataset covers all 195 sovereign states where data is available.
- Refresh cadence
- Updated annually as the source publishes new figures, typically autumn or spring.
- Known caveat
- Country definitions follow the source: where the UN, the World Bank and the CIA Factbook disagree on borders or recognition, we use the figure as published rather than reconciling between bodies. Comparisons across rankings should be made with this in mind.
Frequently asked
Which country tops the ranking for birth rates?
Niger leads with 46.5 births per 1,000 people. Somalia is second at 42.4, with Chad in third place. Full top-10 with sources is above.
What's the source for the birth rates ranking?
The figures come from UN World Population Prospects 2024. We use this source because it publishes a complete country-by-country dataset using consistent methodology — the alternative of mixing national statistics offices would compromise comparability. Updated annually with the latest available vintage of the data.
How often are the birth rates figures updated?
Once a year, in line with the source institution's publishing schedule. Major institutions like the World Bank, IMF and UNESCO publish annual updates in different months — typically autumn or spring — and the figures here reflect the most recently published vintage. The source footer on the ranking table shows which year's data is currently displayed.