Birth rate, crude in Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa: Birth rate, crude was 32.8 per 1,000 people in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
32.8 per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 1.1%
Rank
6th
of 47 groups
All-time high
47.81 per 1,000 people
in 1971
All-time low
32.8 per 1,000 people
in 2024
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Birth rate, crude in Sub-Saharan Africa, 1960–2024
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in per 1,000 people.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa recorded 32.8 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 12.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth rate, crude in Sub-Saharan Africa 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 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, 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
- 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
- Population ages 0-14, total, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate 1.63 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per capita 0.2041 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total, annual growth rate 1.62 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, female, annual growth rate 2.96 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, female, per capita 0.2837 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, female, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per capita 0.1997 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total, per capita 0.4038 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is birth rate, crude in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Birth rate, crude in Sub-Saharan Africa 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?
- 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?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.8 per 1,000 people in 2024.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa rank for birth rate, crude?
- Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 6th out of 47 groups with data for 2024.
- Is birth rate, crude rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa?
- 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 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.
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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.