Fertility rate: births per woman in South Africa
South Africa: Fertility rate: births per woman was 2.22 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
2.22 live births per woman
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
99th
of 236 countries
All-time high
6.14 live births per woman
in 1958
All-time low
2.22 live births per woman
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Fertility rate: births per woman in South Africa, 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
The most recent figure for fertility rate: births per woman in South Africa is 2.22 live births per woman, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.5% on the previous year and down 8.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate: births per woman in South Africa peaked at 6.14 live births per woman in 1958 and was at its lowest, 2.22 live births per woman, in 2023.
That places South Africa 99th 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 South Africa, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 6.03 live births per woman | — |
| 1951 | 6.06 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1952 | 6.08 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1953 | 6.09 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1954 | 6.11 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1955 | 6.13 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1956 | 6.13 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1957 | 6.14 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1958 | 6.14 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1959 | 6.13 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1960 | 6.11 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1961 | 6.08 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 1962 | 6.05 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 1963 | 6.01 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 1964 | 5.96 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 1965 | 5.89 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 1966 | 5.91 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1967 | 5.85 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 1968 | 5.78 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 1969 | 5.72 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 1970 | 5.63 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 1971 | 5.57 live births per woman | -1.2% |
| 1972 | 5.49 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 1973 | 5.41 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 1974 | 5.3 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 1975 | 5.19 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 1976 | 5.07 live births per woman | -2.3% |
| 1977 | 4.94 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 1978 | 4.85 live births per woman | -1.8% |
| 1979 | 4.82 live births per woman | -0.7% |
| 1980 | 4.78 live births per woman | -0.8% |
| 1981 | 4.71 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 1982 | 4.7 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1983 | 4.63 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 1984 | 4.57 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 1985 | 4.5 live births per woman | -1.6% |
| 1986 | 4.41 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 1987 | 4.35 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 1988 | 4.18 live births per woman | -4.0% |
| 1989 | 3.98 live births per woman | -4.7% |
| 1990 | 3.72 live births per woman | -6.5% |
| 1991 | 3.62 live births per woman | -2.8% |
| 1992 | 3.48 live births per woman | -3.8% |
| 1993 | 3.37 live births per woman | -3.1% |
| 1994 | 3.26 live births per woman | -3.4% |
| 1995 | 3.17 live births per woman | -2.6% |
| 1996 | 2.99 live births per woman | -5.7% |
| 1997 | 2.73 live births per woman | -8.6% |
| 1998 | 2.63 live births per woman | -3.8% |
| 1999 | 2.56 live births per woman | -2.7% |
| 2000 | 2.41 live births per woman | -5.7% |
| 2001 | 2.37 live births per woman | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 2.32 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 2003 | 2.36 live births per woman | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 2.44 live births per woman | +3.3% |
| 2005 | 2.51 live births per woman | +3.1% |
| 2006 | 2.55 live births per woman | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 2.54 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 2.68 live births per woman | +5.3% |
| 2009 | 2.5 live births per woman | -6.6% |
| 2010 | 2.44 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 2.44 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 2.45 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 2.43 live births per woman | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 2.42 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 2.36 live births per woman | -2.7% |
| 2016 | 2.26 live births per woman | -4.2% |
| 2017 | 2.28 live births per woman | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 2.27 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 2.26 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 2.26 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 2.25 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 2.23 live births per woman | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 2.22 live births per woman | -0.5% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 2.22 live births per woman is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.82 live births per woman, 1.2× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 2.22 live births per woman is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4 live births per woman, 55% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6.1 live births per woman | 6.03 live births per woman | 6.14 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 5.94 live births per woman | 5.72 live births per woman | 6.11 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 5.23 live births per woman | 4.82 live births per woman | 5.63 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.48 live births per woman | 3.98 live births per woman | 4.78 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.15 live births per woman | 2.56 live births per woman | 3.72 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.47 live births per woman | 2.32 live births per woman | 2.68 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.36 live births per woman | 2.26 live births per woman | 2.45 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.24 live births per woman | 2.22 live births per woman | 2.26 live births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More reference data data for South Africa
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5111 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 8.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7468 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.71 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.49 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 41.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 63.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 4.07 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate: births per woman in South Africa?
- Fertility rate: births per woman in South Africa was 2.22 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 South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 6.14 live births per woman in 1958.
- What is the lowest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.22 live births per woman in 2023.
- How does South Africa rank for fertility rate: births per woman?
- South Africa ranks 99th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility rate: births per woman rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa 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.