Fertility rate: births per woman in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Fertility rate: births per woman was 2.16 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
2.16 live births per woman
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
102nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
6.84 live births per woman
in 1970
All-time low
2.16 live births per woman
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Fertility rate: births per woman in Bangladesh, 1950–2023
Source: Human Fertility Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in live births per woman.
Analysis
Bangladesh recorded 2.16 live births per woman for fertility rate: births per woman in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 3.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate: births per woman in Bangladesh peaked at 6.84 live births per woman in 1970 and was at its lowest, 2.16 live births per woman, in 2023.
That places Bangladesh 102nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Fertility rate: births per woman in Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 6.37 live births per woman | — |
| 1951 | 6.39 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1952 | 6.41 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1953 | 6.42 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1954 | 6.47 live births per woman | +0.8% |
| 1955 | 6.5 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1956 | 6.54 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1957 | 6.58 live births per woman | +0.6% |
| 1958 | 6.61 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1959 | 6.68 live births per woman | +1.1% |
| 1960 | 6.74 live births per woman | +1.0% |
| 1961 | 6.78 live births per woman | +0.6% |
| 1962 | 6.81 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1963 | 6.8 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 1964 | 6.79 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 6.77 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1966 | 6.77 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 6.79 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1968 | 6.79 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 6.81 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1970 | 6.84 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1971 | 6.83 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 1972 | 6.82 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1973 | 6.8 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1974 | 6.78 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1975 | 6.73 live births per woman | -0.7% |
| 1976 | 6.66 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1977 | 6.58 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 1978 | 6.51 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 1979 | 6.42 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 1980 | 6.33 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 1981 | 6.24 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 1982 | 6.12 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 1983 | 5.91 live births per woman | -3.5% |
| 1984 | 5.73 live births per woman | -2.9% |
| 1985 | 5.54 live births per woman | -3.4% |
| 1986 | 5.3 live births per woman | -4.3% |
| 1987 | 5.08 live births per woman | -4.3% |
| 1988 | 4.85 live births per woman | -4.5% |
| 1989 | 4.7 live births per woman | -3.2% |
| 1990 | 4.51 live births per woman | -4.0% |
| 1991 | 4.26 live births per woman | -5.4% |
| 1992 | 4.03 live births per woman | -5.5% |
| 1993 | 3.83 live births per woman | -4.8% |
| 1994 | 3.74 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 1995 | 3.59 live births per woman | -4.0% |
| 1996 | 3.5 live births per woman | -2.3% |
| 1997 | 3.5 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 3.43 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 1999 | 3.36 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 2000 | 3.28 live births per woman | -2.3% |
| 2001 | 3.2 live births per woman | -2.3% |
| 2002 | 3.13 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 2003 | 3.03 live births per woman | -3.1% |
| 2004 | 2.94 live births per woman | -2.9% |
| 2005 | 2.85 live births per woman | -3.2% |
| 2006 | 2.75 live births per woman | -3.2% |
| 2007 | 2.67 live births per woman | -3.2% |
| 2008 | 2.58 live births per woman | -3.3% |
| 2009 | 2.48 live births per woman | -3.6% |
| 2010 | 2.38 live births per woman | -4.2% |
| 2011 | 2.31 live births per woman | -3.0% |
| 2012 | 2.26 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 2013 | 2.25 live births per woman | -0.7% |
| 2014 | 2.23 live births per woman | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 2.23 live births per woman | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 2.23 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 2.21 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 2.19 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 2.18 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 2.17 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 2.17 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 2.18 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 2.16 live births per woman | -0.7% |
Bangladesh compared with similar countries
- Bangladesh's 2.16 live births per woman is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 3.15 live births per woman, 69% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Bangladesh's 2.16 live births per woman is above the median for South Asia, which is 1.97 live births per woman, 1.1× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6.5 live births per woman | 6.37 live births per woman | 6.68 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 6.78 live births per woman | 6.74 live births per woman | 6.81 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.7 live births per woman | 6.42 live births per woman | 6.84 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.58 live births per woman | 4.7 live births per woman | 6.33 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.77 live births per woman | 3.36 live births per woman | 4.51 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.89 live births per woman | 2.48 live births per woman | 3.28 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.25 live births per woman | 2.18 live births per woman | 2.38 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.17 live births per woman | 2.16 live births per woman | 2.18 live births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
- 99 South Africa 2.22 live births per woman compare
- 100 Reunion 2.17 live births per woman compare
- 101 Western Sahara 2.16 live births per woman compare
- 103 Seychelles 2.13 live births per woman compare
- 104 Indonesia 2.13 live births per woman compare
- 105 Panama 2.12 live births per woman compare
More reference data data for Bangladesh
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 2.46 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 9.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 24.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 24.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 8.25 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 2.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 37.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 105.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 14.25 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate: births per woman in Bangladesh?
- Fertility rate: births per woman in Bangladesh was 2.16 live births per woman in 2023, according to Human Fertility Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 6.84 live births per woman in 1970.
- What is the lowest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.16 live births per woman in 2023.
- How does Bangladesh rank for fertility rate: births per woman?
- Bangladesh ranks 102nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility rate: births per woman rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Bangladesh data come from?
- The figures come from Human Fertility Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility rate: births per woman. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.