Fertility in Southern Africa, 2021

Southern Africa
2021
Total fertility rate: 2.34
Births per 1,000 women, by age of mother
2021 1991, 30 years earlier
Hover a column for the exact rate. Adding up all the rates (× 5 years ÷ 1,000) gives the total fertility rate.
Total fertility rate, 1950–2100 · click to pick a year

Year

-5 -1   2021  +1 +5

Country

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

The total fertility rate of Southern Africa was 2.34 children per woman in 2021 — above the replacement level of about 2.1. Births were most frequent among women aged 20-24 (118 per 1,000 women in that age group), and the average mother was 28.3 years old. In total, 1,413,721 babies were born. Source: United Nations, World Population Prospects 2024.

Total fertility rate
2.34
Births
1,413,721
Births per 1,000 people
20.1
Mean age of mothers
28.3
Births to mothers aged 15–19
11.2%
Net reproduction rate
1.06
Boys per 100 girls at birth
103.8
Population
70,182,727
The net reproduction rate counts only daughters who survive to their mothers' age: below 1, each generation of women is smaller than the one before.
Mother's ageBirths per 1,000 womenShare of total fertilityBirths
10-141.10.2%3,333
15-1954.611.7%158,399
20-24118.125.2%357,993
25-29111.023.7%361,279
30-3490.019.2%285,283
35-3964.413.8%183,541
40-4425.55.4%57,797
45-493.20.7%5,985
50-540.10.0%112