Fertility rate: births per woman in South Sudan
South Sudan: Fertility rate: births per woman was 3.86 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
3.86 live births per woman
Change on year
down 2.5%
World rank
32nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
7.39 live births per woman
in 1987
All-time low
3.86 live births per woman
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Fertility rate: births per woman in South Sudan, 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 Sudan is 3.86 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 2.5% on the previous year and down 21.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate: births per woman in South Sudan peaked at 7.39 live births per woman in 1987 and was at its lowest, 3.86 live births per woman, in 2023.
South Sudan ranks 32nd of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Fertility rate: births per woman in South Sudan, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 7.12 live births per woman | — |
| 1951 | 7.13 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1952 | 7.13 live births per woman | -0.0% |
| 1953 | 7.13 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 7.14 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 7.13 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 1956 | 7.13 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 7.14 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1958 | 7.14 live births per woman | -0.0% |
| 1959 | 7.15 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1960 | 7.16 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1961 | 7.18 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1962 | 7.2 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1963 | 7.2 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 7.22 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1965 | 7.22 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 7.25 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 1967 | 7.26 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 7.26 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1969 | 7.28 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1970 | 7.29 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1971 | 7.3 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1972 | 7.31 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1973 | 7.31 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 7.31 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 7.33 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1976 | 7.33 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 7.33 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 7.33 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1979 | 7.32 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 1980 | 7.33 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 7.33 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1982 | 7.34 live births per woman | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 7.34 live births per woman | -0.0% |
| 1984 | 7.35 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1985 | 7.36 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1986 | 7.38 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 7.39 live births per woman | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 7.38 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 1989 | 7.37 live births per woman | -0.0% |
| 1990 | 7.38 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 7.38 live births per woman | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 7.37 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 7.36 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 7.35 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 7.34 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 7.32 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 7.2 live births per woman | -1.7% |
| 1998 | 7.08 live births per woman | -1.7% |
| 1999 | 6.94 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 2000 | 6.8 live births per woman | -1.9% |
| 2001 | 6.65 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 2002 | 6.51 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 2003 | 6.35 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 2004 | 6.19 live births per woman | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 6.02 live births per woman | -2.7% |
| 2006 | 5.85 live births per woman | -2.8% |
| 2007 | 5.7 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 2008 | 5.57 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 2009 | 5.45 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 2010 | 5.32 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 2011 | 5.19 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 5.06 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 2013 | 4.94 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 2014 | 4.82 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 2015 | 4.7 live births per woman | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 4.58 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 2017 | 4.48 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 2018 | 4.37 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 2019 | 4.26 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 2020 | 4.16 live births per woman | -2.3% |
| 2021 | 4.05 live births per woman | -2.7% |
| 2022 | 3.96 live births per woman | -2.1% |
| 2023 | 3.86 live births per woman | -2.5% |
South Sudan compared with similar countries
- South Sudan's 3.86 live births per woman is below the median for low income countries, which is 4.19 live births per woman, 92% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- South Sudan's 3.86 live births per woman is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4 live births per woman, 97% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 7.14 live births per woman | 7.12 live births per woman | 7.15 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 7.22 live births per woman | 7.16 live births per woman | 7.28 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 7.31 live births per woman | 7.29 live births per woman | 7.33 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.36 live births per woman | 7.33 live births per woman | 7.39 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.27 live births per woman | 6.94 live births per woman | 7.38 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.11 live births per woman | 5.45 live births per woman | 6.8 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.77 live births per woman | 4.26 live births per woman | 5.32 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.01 live births per woman | 3.86 live births per woman | 4.16 live births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Sudan
More reference data data for South Sudan
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 7 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.3667 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 7.41 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Enteric 19,422 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure Management 684.53 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure applied to Soils 325.82 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure left on Pasture 8,797 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Burning - Crop 6.36 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Manure Management 577.67 (2019)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - IPCC Agriculture 944.75 (2019)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate: births per woman in South Sudan?
- Fertility rate: births per woman in South Sudan was 3.86 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 Sudan?
- The highest recorded value was 7.39 live births per woman in 1987.
- What is the lowest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in South Sudan?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.86 live births per woman in 2023.
- How does South Sudan rank for fertility rate: births per woman?
- South Sudan ranks 32nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility rate: births per woman rising or falling in South Sudan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Sudan 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.