Global Birth Rates Are Down Sharply. Here’s What the 2024 Rankings Show
Business Insider’s ranking, based on World Bank Group data, compares countries with the highest and lowest crude birth rates and fertility rates in 2024.
The Big Shift: Birth Rates Are Far Below 1960s Levels
The global birth rate is now less than half what it was in the 1960s, according to World Bank Group data cited by Business Insider. The ranking focuses on crude birth rates, meaning live births per 1,000 people in a year, alongside total fertility rates, or the average number of births per woman.
For readers, the key takeaway is that the decline is broad but uneven. Countries are moving through demographic change at different speeds, shaped by income levels, economic pressures, and access to family planning.
How the 2024 Ranking Was Built
Business Insider identified the 15 countries with the highest crude birth rates and the 15 places with the lowest, using World Bank Group data from 2024. The article did not include territories or autonomous regions such as Hong Kong.
The World Bank Group’s inputs included data from the UN Population Division, the UN Statistical Division, and national statistics offices. Business Insider rounded figures to one decimal place, while using two decimal places in some cases to break ties.
Where Birth Rates Are Highest
Countries in Africa accounted for 13 of the top 15 highestക്ക് birth rates in the Business Insider ranking. The Central African Republic led the listed countries with 46.2 births per 1,000 people in 2024, followed by Chad at 43.3 and Somalia at 42.3.
Other high-ranking countries shown in the article included Niger, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, Angola, and Mozambique. Of the top 15 countries, 10 had contraceptive prevalence among married women of 20% or lower, according to the World Bank Group.
How the US Compares — and Why Low Rates Matter
The US had a birth rate of 10.6 births per 1,000 people in 2024, ranking 135th in the world, according to Business Insider. Its fertility rate was 1.6 births per woman, below the global birth rate of 16 births per 1,000 people and the global fertility rate of 2.2 births per woman.
Business Insider reported that Americans are waiting longer to have children for financial reasons, and many want more children than they currently have. In countries with the lowest birth rates, economic issues are likely factors; the article cited Japan’s job prospects and high cost of living as examples discussed by the Associated Press.