Birth rate, crude in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries): Birth rate, crude was 32.8 per 1,000 people in 2024. ▼ Falling
Birth rate, crude in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries), 1960–2024
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in per 1,000 people.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) recorded 32.8 per 1,000 people for birth rate, crude in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 65 years on record.
The figure is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 12.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth rate, crude in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 47.81 per 1,000 people in 1971 and was at its lowest, 32.8 per 1,000 people, in 2024.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) 6th out of 47 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Birth rate, crude in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 47.63 per 1,000 people | — |
| 1961 | 47.67 per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1962 | 47.73 per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1963 | 47.74 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 47.75 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 47.74 per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1966 | 47.81 per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1967 | 47.8 per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1968 | 47.79 per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1969 | 47.78 per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1970 | 47.77 per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1971 | 47.81 per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1972 | 47.75 per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1973 | 47.66 per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1974 | 47.65 per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1975 | 47.63 per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1976 | 47.55 per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1977 | 47.49 per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 47.39 per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1979 | 47.35 per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1980 | 47.22 per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 47.01 per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1982 | 46.82 per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 46.73 per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 46.41 per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1985 | 46.13 per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1986 | 45.79 per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1987 | 45.49 per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1988 | 45.16 per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1989 | 44.82 per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 1990 | 44.43 per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 1991 | 44.13 per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 43.81 per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 43.54 per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 43.08 per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 1995 | 43.13 per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1996 | 42.88 per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 42.52 per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 42.2 per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 1999 | 42.12 per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 41.96 per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 2001 | 41.75 per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 41.48 per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 41.26 per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 41.09 per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 40.96 per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 40.72 per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 40.39 per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 40.18 per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 39.77 per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 2010 | 39.39 per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 38.96 per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 38.43 per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 37.87 per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 2014 | 37.39 per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 36.81 per 1,000 people | -1.6% |
| 2016 | 36.22 per 1,000 people | -1.6% |
| 2017 | 35.7 per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 35.19 per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 34.69 per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 34.19 per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
| 2021 | 33.86 per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 33.51 per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 33.17 per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 2024 | 32.8 per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 47.74 per 1,000 people | 47.63 per 1,000 people | 47.81 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 47.61 per 1,000 people | 47.35 per 1,000 people | 47.81 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 46.16 per 1,000 people | 44.82 per 1,000 people | 47.22 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 43.19 per 1,000 people | 42.12 per 1,000 people | 44.43 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 40.95 per 1,000 people | 39.77 per 1,000 people | 41.96 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 37.07 per 1,000 people | 34.69 per 1,000 people | 39.39 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 33.51 per 1,000 people | 32.8 per 1,000 people | 34.19 per 1,000 people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
- 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
- 8 Mozambique 37.03 per 1,000 people compare
- 9 Afghanistan 35.01 per 1,000 people compare
More health data for Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per capita 0.0282 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 45-49, female, annual growth rate 3.83 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per capita 0.0235 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, annual growth rate 3.14 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per capita 0.024 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, annual growth rate 3.23 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, male, per capita 0.0334 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is birth rate, crude in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Birth rate, crude in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) was 32.8 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 Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 47.81 per 1,000 people in 1971.
- What is the lowest birth rate, crude recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.8 per 1,000 people in 2024.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for birth rate, crude?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 6th out of 47 groups with data for 2024.
- Is birth rate, crude rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries) 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.