Fertility vs child mortality in South Africa
South Africa: Fertility vs child mortality was 2.22 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
2.22
Change on year
down 0.5%
World rank
99th
of 236 countries
All-time high
6.14
in 1958
All-time low
2.22
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Fertility vs child mortality in South Africa, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 2.22 for fertility vs child mortality in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and down 8.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility vs child mortality in South Africa peaked at 6.14 in 1958 and was at its lowest, 2.22, in 2023.
South Africa ranks 99th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Fertility vs child mortality in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 6.03 | — |
| 1951 | 6.06 | +0.5% |
| 1952 | 6.08 | +0.3% |
| 1953 | 6.09 | +0.2% |
| 1954 | 6.11 | +0.2% |
| 1955 | 6.13 | +0.3% |
| 1956 | 6.13 | +0.1% |
| 1957 | 6.14 | +0.1% |
| 1958 | 6.14 | +0.1% |
| 1959 | 6.13 | -0.3% |
| 1960 | 6.11 | -0.3% |
| 1961 | 6.08 | -0.4% |
| 1962 | 6.05 | -0.6% |
| 1963 | 6.01 | -0.6% |
| 1964 | 5.96 | -0.9% |
| 1965 | 5.89 | -1.1% |
| 1966 | 5.91 | +0.3% |
| 1967 | 5.85 | -0.9% |
| 1968 | 5.78 | -1.2% |
| 1969 | 5.72 | -1.1% |
| 1970 | 5.63 | -1.5% |
| 1971 | 5.57 | -1.2% |
| 1972 | 5.49 | -1.4% |
| 1973 | 5.41 | -1.4% |
| 1974 | 5.3 | -2.1% |
| 1975 | 5.19 | -2.0% |
| 1976 | 5.07 | -2.3% |
| 1977 | 4.94 | -2.5% |
| 1978 | 4.85 | -1.8% |
| 1979 | 4.82 | -0.7% |
| 1980 | 4.78 | -0.8% |
| 1981 | 4.71 | -1.4% |
| 1982 | 4.7 | -0.3% |
| 1983 | 4.63 | -1.5% |
| 1984 | 4.57 | -1.3% |
| 1985 | 4.5 | -1.6% |
| 1986 | 4.41 | -1.9% |
| 1987 | 4.35 | -1.3% |
| 1988 | 4.18 | -4.0% |
| 1989 | 3.98 | -4.7% |
| 1990 | 3.72 | -6.5% |
| 1991 | 3.62 | -2.8% |
| 1992 | 3.48 | -3.8% |
| 1993 | 3.37 | -3.1% |
| 1994 | 3.26 | -3.4% |
| 1995 | 3.17 | -2.6% |
| 1996 | 2.99 | -5.7% |
| 1997 | 2.73 | -8.6% |
| 1998 | 2.63 | -3.8% |
| 1999 | 2.56 | -2.7% |
| 2000 | 2.41 | -5.7% |
| 2001 | 2.37 | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 2.32 | -2.1% |
| 2003 | 2.36 | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 2.44 | +3.3% |
| 2005 | 2.51 | +3.1% |
| 2006 | 2.55 | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 2.54 | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 2.68 | +5.3% |
| 2009 | 2.5 | -6.6% |
| 2010 | 2.44 | -2.2% |
| 2011 | 2.44 | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 2.45 | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 2.43 | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 2.42 | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 2.36 | -2.7% |
| 2016 | 2.26 | -4.2% |
| 2017 | 2.28 | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 2.27 | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 2.26 | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 2.26 | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 2.25 | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 2.23 | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 2.22 | -0.5% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 2.22 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.82, 1.2× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 2.22 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4, 55% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6.1 | 6.03 | 6.14 | 10 |
| 1960s | 5.94 | 5.72 | 6.11 | 10 |
| 1970s | 5.23 | 4.82 | 5.63 | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.48 | 3.98 | 4.78 | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.15 | 2.56 | 3.72 | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.47 | 2.32 | 2.68 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.36 | 2.26 | 2.45 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.24 | 2.22 | 2.26 | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More health data for South Africa
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.2 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.1386 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 3,333 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.5504 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.045 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.0003 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.046 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility vs child mortality in South Africa?
- Fertility vs child mortality in South Africa was 2.22 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility vs child mortality recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 6.14 in 1958.
- What is the lowest fertility vs child mortality recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.22 in 2023.
- How does South Africa rank for fertility vs child mortality?
- South Africa ranks 99th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility vs child mortality rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility vs child mortality. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).