Birth rate, crude in Africa Western and Central
Africa Western and Central: Birth rate, crude was 33.12 per 1,000 people in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
33.12 per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 1.1%
Rank
4th
of 47 groups
All-time high
48.42 per 1,000 people
in 1978
All-time low
33.12 per 1,000 people
in 2024
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Birth rate, crude in Africa Western and Central, 1960–2024
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in per 1,000 people.
Analysis
Africa Western and Central recorded 33.12 per 1,000 people for birth rate, crude in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 65 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.1% on the previous year and down 16.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth rate, crude in Africa Western and Central peaked at 48.42 per 1,000 people in 1978 and was at its lowest, 33.12 per 1,000 people, in 2024.
That places Africa Western and Central 4th out of 47 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Birth rate, crude in Africa Western and Central, year by year
| Year | per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 47.52 per 1,000 people | — |
| 1961 | 47.58 per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1962 | 47.65 per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1963 | 47.62 per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1964 | 47.63 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 47.61 per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1966 | 47.62 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 47.66 per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1968 | 47.71 per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1969 | 47.76 per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1970 | 47.79 per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1971 | 47.97 per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1972 | 48.05 per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1973 | 48.13 per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1974 | 48.29 per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 48.4 per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1976 | 48.39 per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1977 | 48.41 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 48.42 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 48.22 per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 48 per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1981 | 47.69 per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1982 | 47.44 per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1983 | 47.39 per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 46.89 per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 1985 | 46.43 per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 1986 | 46.03 per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 1987 | 45.72 per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1988 | 45.46 per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 45.31 per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 45.1 per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1991 | 44.8 per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 44.59 per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 44.38 per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 44.05 per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 43.86 per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 43.65 per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 43.37 per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 43.16 per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 43.24 per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 43.36 per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 43.23 per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 43.03 per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 42.89 per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 42.67 per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 42.6 per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 42.41 per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 42.13 per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 41.94 per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 41.71 per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 41.48 per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 41.17 per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 40.69 per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 40.1 per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 39.52 per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 38.77 per 1,000 people | -1.9% |
| 2016 | 37.89 per 1,000 people | -2.3% |
| 2017 | 36.99 per 1,000 people | -2.4% |
| 2018 | 36.08 per 1,000 people | -2.5% |
| 2019 | 35.21 per 1,000 people | -2.4% |
| 2020 | 34.45 per 1,000 people | -2.2% |
| 2021 | 34.13 per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 33.78 per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 2023 | 33.48 per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 2024 | 33.12 per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 47.64 per 1,000 people | 47.52 per 1,000 people | 47.76 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 48.21 per 1,000 people | 47.79 per 1,000 people | 48.42 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 46.64 per 1,000 people | 45.31 per 1,000 people | 48 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 44.02 per 1,000 people | 43.16 per 1,000 people | 45.1 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 42.6 per 1,000 people | 41.71 per 1,000 people | 43.36 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 38.79 per 1,000 people | 35.21 per 1,000 people | 41.48 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 33.79 per 1,000 people | 33.12 per 1,000 people | 34.45 per 1,000 people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Africa Western and Central
- 1 Central African Republic 46.19 per 1,000 people compare
- 2 Chad 43.26 per 1,000 people compare
- 3 Somalia 42.35 per 1,000 people compare
- 4 Niger 41.42 per 1,000 people compare
- 5 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 40.88 per 1,000 people compare
- 6 Mali 39.53 per 1,000 people compare
- 7 Angola 37.16 per 1,000 people compare
More health data for Africa Western and Central
- Population ages 55-59, female, annual growth rate 3.25 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 60-64, female, annual growth rate 3.3 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, male, per capita 0.0116 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, male, annual growth rate 3.52 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, female, per capita 0.012 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 50-54, male, annual growth rate 3.99 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 50-54, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 50-54, female, per capita 0.0153 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is birth rate, crude in Africa Western and Central?
- Birth rate, crude in Africa Western and Central was 33.12 per 1,000 people in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest birth rate, crude recorded in Africa Western and Central?
- The highest recorded value was 48.42 per 1,000 people in 1978.
- What is the lowest birth rate, crude recorded in Africa Western and Central?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.12 per 1,000 people in 2024.
- How does Africa Western and Central rank for birth rate, crude?
- Africa Western and Central ranks 4th out of 47 groups with data for 2024.
- Is birth rate, crude rising or falling in Africa Western and Central?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Africa Western and Central data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Birth rate, crude (per 1,000 people). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Crude birth rate indicates the number of live births occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear. Subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate provides the rate of natural increase, which is equal to the rate of population change in the absence of migration.