Year-over-year change: +1.7%, trend up
5-year change: -9.6%, trend down
Macao
Total fertility rate: 0.7 children per woman
View MoreAverage number of children per woman during her lifetime
Global2.23children per woman
19502100
2026
Rankings at a glance
Highest 10 · Average number of children per woman during her lifetime (2026)
Chad is projected to top the global rankings for average number of children per woman during her lifetime, recording 5.84 children per woman in 2026, followed by Somalia (5.81 children per woman) and DR Congo (5.8 children per woman). The Central African Republic (5.69 children per woman) and Niger (5.64 children per woman) complete the top 5. Mali (5.33 children per woman) and Angola (4.89 children per woman) follow close behind. Burundi (4.57 children per woman), Afghanistan (4.56 children per woman), and Mozambique (4.54 children per woman) round out the top ten. Nine of the top ten are in Africa, with four from Central Africa. Among these countries, Niger is projected to see the largest year-over-year change at -2.5%.
Rank changes
How average number of children per woman during her lifetime changed between 2021 and 2026
2021and2026
Historical trends
Key terms
- Total fertility rate (TFR)
- — Average number of children a woman would have over her lifetime at current rates.
- Crude birth rate (CBR)
- — Births per 1,000 people per year.
- Net reproduction rate (NRR)
- — Average number of daughters per woman surviving to reproductive age.
- Replacement level
- — TFR of approximately 2.1 needed to maintain a stable population without migration.
Frequently asked questions
- Which country has the lowest total fertility rate?
- Macao is projected to have the lowest total fertility rate at 0.7 children per woman in 2026, according to UN Population Division (2024).
- Which country has the highest total fertility rate?
- Chad is projected to have the highest total fertility rate at 5.84 children per woman in 2026, according to UN Population Division (2024).
- What is the global total fertility rate?
- The global total fertility rate is projected to be 2.23 children per woman in 2026, as published by the United Nations in World Population Prospects 2024.
