South Africa vs Western Sahara: Fertility rate: births per woman
South Africa
2.22 live births per woman
in 2023
Western Sahara
2.16 live births per woman
in 2023
South Africa rank
99th
Western Sahara rank
101st
Fertility rate: births per woman over time
- South Africa
- Western Sahara
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 2.22 live births per woman against 2.16 live births per woman in Western Sahara, a difference of 0.06 live births per woman.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 74 shared years of data; in 1950 it was South Africa ahead.
South Africa ranks 99th and Western Sahara ranks 101st of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, South Africa averaged higher in 1 and Western Sahara in 7.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Africa | Western Sahara | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6.1 live births per woman | 6.17 live births per woman | 0.067 live births per woman | Western Sahara |
| 1960s | 5.94 live births per woman | 6.49 live births per woman | 0.5514 live births per woman | Western Sahara |
| 1970s | 5.23 live births per woman | 6.2 live births per woman | 0.9694 live births per woman | Western Sahara |
| 1980s | 4.48 live births per woman | 5.35 live births per woman | 0.8738 live births per woman | Western Sahara |
| 1990s | 3.15 live births per woman | 4.12 live births per woman | 0.9665 live births per woman | Western Sahara |
| 2000s | 2.47 live births per woman | 3 live births per woman | 0.5264 live births per woman | Western Sahara |
| 2010s | 2.36 live births per woman | 2.45 live births per woman | 0.0859 live births per woman | Western Sahara |
| 2020s | 2.24 live births per woman | 2.21 live births per woman | 0.0315 live births per woman | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher fertility rate: births per woman, South Africa or Western Sahara?
- South Africa, at 2.22 live births per woman against 2.16 live births per woman in Western Sahara as of 2023.
- What is the difference in fertility rate: births per woman between South Africa and Western Sahara?
- 0.06 live births per woman, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Western Sahara?
- 74 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2023.
- How do South Africa and Western Sahara rank globally for fertility rate: births per woman?
- South Africa ranks 99th and Western Sahara ranks 101st of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Human Fertility Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) β with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Fertility rate: births per woman. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Average number of live births a hypothetical cohort of women would have at the end of their reproductive period if they were subject during their whole lives to the fertility rates of a given period and if they were not subject to mortality.