Children per woman un in South Africa

South Africa: Children per woman un was 2.22 in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
2.22
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
96th
of 229 countries
All-time high
6.14
in 1958
All-time low
2.22
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Children per woman un in South Africa, 1950–2023

0246195019862023

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 2.22 for children per woman un in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.

That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and down 8.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, children per woman un in South Africa peaked at 6.14 in 1958 and was at its lowest, 2.22, in 2023.

That places South Africa 96th out of 229 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 6.1 6.03 6.14 10
1960s 5.94 5.72 6.11 10
1970s 5.23 4.82 5.63 10
1980s 4.48 3.98 4.78 10
1990s 3.15 2.56 3.72 10
2000s 2.47 2.32 2.68 10
2010s 2.36 2.26 2.45 10
2020s 2.24 2.22 2.26 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 93 Lebanon 2.24 compare
  2. 94 Morocco 2.23 compare
  3. 95 Nicaragua 2.22 compare
  4. 97 Réunion 2.17 compare
  5. 98 Western Sahara 2.16 compare
  6. 99 Bangladesh 2.16 compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is children per woman un in South Africa?
Children per woman un in South Africa was 2.22 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest children per woman un recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 6.14 in 1958.
What is the lowest children per woman un recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 2.22 in 2023.
How does South Africa rank for children per woman un?
South Africa ranks 96th out of 229 countries with data for 2023.
Is children per woman un 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Children per woman un. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Children per woman un in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 18 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/children-per-woman-un/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Children per woman un
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed