Lesotho vs South Africa: Fertility rate

Fertility rate in 2023: 2.69 births per woman in Lesotho and 2.22 births per woman in South Africa, by UN estimates. In 2023 the value was higher in Lesotho, by 0.48 births per woman, or 1.22 times that in South Africa.

Watch it change on the map

births per woman · UN

LesothoSouth AfricaUN projection (medium variant)95% prediction intervalWorld

What the numbers say

Lesotho has been higher since 1970, when it overtook South Africa.
In 2023, Lesotho ranked 70 and South Africa ranked 96 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
The UN projection (medium variant) puts Lesotho at 1.8 births per woman and South Africa at 1.74 births per woman in 2100.
The world as a whole: 2.25 births per woman in 2023.

Every year

births per woman · UN

Year	Lesotho	South Africa	World
2023	2.69	2.22	2.25
2022	2.72	2.23	2.27
2021	2.77	2.25	2.29
2020	2.85	2.26	2.32
2019	2.92	2.26	2.4
2018	3.02	2.27	2.44
2017	3.11	2.28	2.5
2016	3.18	2.26	2.54
2015	3.22	2.36	2.54
2014	3.24	2.42	2.56
2013	3.28	2.43	2.57
2012	3.3	2.45	2.61
2011	3.34	2.44	2.59
2010	3.25	2.45	2.6
2009	3.31	2.5	2.62
2008	3.39	2.68	2.63
2007	3.44	2.55	2.62
2006	3.41	2.55	2.63
2005	3.43	2.51	2.63
2004	3.51	2.44	2.65
2003	3.62	2.36	2.66
2002	3.68	2.32	2.68
2001	3.63	2.37	2.71
2000	3.61	2.41	2.75
1999	3.67	2.56	2.75
1998	3.82	2.63	2.78
1997	3.98	2.73	2.81
1996	4.06	2.99	2.85
1995	4.13	3.17	2.89
1994	4.21	3.26	2.93
1993	4.37	3.37	2.98
1992	4.54	3.48	3.04
1991	4.68	3.62	3.13
1990	4.81	3.72	3.31
1989	4.96	3.98	3.35
1988	5.1	4.18	3.39
1987	5.22	4.35	3.48
1986	5.32	4.41	3.5
1985	5.4	4.5	3.51
1984	5.48	4.57	3.55
1983	5.56	4.63	3.58
1982	5.63	4.7	3.71
1981	5.69	4.71	3.71
1980	5.75	4.78	3.74
1979	5.79	4.82	3.77
1978	5.82	4.85	3.79
1977	5.85	4.94	3.85
1976	5.87	5.07	3.97
1975	5.83	5.19	4.08
1974	5.75	5.3	4.26
1973	5.69	5.41	4.42
1972	5.69	5.49	4.55
1971	5.7	5.57	4.68
1970	5.7	5.63	4.83
1969	5.71	5.72	4.87
1968	5.73	5.78	4.96
1967	5.75	5.85	4.85
1966	5.76	5.91	4.96
1965	5.77	5.89	5.07
1964	5.77	5.96	5.12
1963	5.78	6.01	5.31
1962	5.79	6.05	5.02
1961	5.79	6.08	4.57
1960	5.78	6.11	4.7
1959	5.79	6.13	4.74
1958	5.79	6.14	4.93
1957	5.79	6.14	5.07
1956	5.79	6.13	4.93
1955	5.79	6.13	5
1954	5.79	6.11	5
1953	5.75	6.09	4.92
1952	5.73	6.08	5
1951	5.72	6.06	4.82
1950	5.7	6.03	4.85

UN projection (medium variant) · 2024–2100

Year	Lesotho	South Africa	World
2024	2.662.15–3.21	2.211.75–2.69	2.25
2025	2.642.08–3.22	2.191.68–2.71	2.24
2026	2.612.03–3.24	2.171.64–2.72	2.23
2027	2.581.95–3.23	2.151.6–2.73	2.22
2028	2.551.9–3.22	2.131.58–2.75	2.21
2029	2.531.86–3.22	2.121.54–2.76	2.2
2030	2.51.84–3.21	2.11.51–2.78	2.2
2031	2.481.8–3.22	2.091.48–2.79	2.19
2032	2.451.76–3.24	2.071.47–2.76	2.18
2033	2.431.75–3.23	2.061.45–2.74	2.17
2034	2.411.71–3.25	2.051.43–2.76	2.16
2035	2.381.67–3.24	2.041.41–2.77	2.15
2036	2.371.67–3.23	2.031.41–2.77	2.15
2037	2.351.64–3.22	2.021.35–2.76	2.14
2038	2.321.6–3.2	21.34–2.75	2.13
2039	2.31.56–3.17	1.991.31–2.76	2.13
2040	2.291.55–3.17	1.981.3–2.79	2.13
2041	2.271.52–3.17	1.981.31–2.78	2.12
2042	2.251.51–3.15	1.971.29–2.79	2.12
2043	2.241.5–3.13	1.961.29–2.77	2.12
2044	2.231.45–3.15	1.951.29–2.77	2.12
2045	2.211.44–3.13	1.941.28–2.73	2.12
2046	2.21.42–3.11	1.931.27–2.72	2.11
2047	2.181.42–3.12	1.921.27–2.76	2.11
2048	2.171.4–3.11	1.911.26–2.74	2.11
2049	2.161.39–3.13	1.91.26–2.74	2.1
2050	2.151.37–3.12	1.891.23–2.72	2.1
2051	2.131.35–3.09	1.891.22–2.71	2.09
2052	2.121.35–3.14	1.881.22–2.7	2.09
2053	2.111.34–3.12	1.881.22–2.68	2.08
2054	2.091.35–3.09	1.871.21–2.69	2.07
2055	2.081.34–3.09	1.871.2–2.66	2.07
2056	2.071.32–3.09	1.861.2–2.62	2.06
2057	2.051.29–3.05	1.851.21–2.61	2.05
2058	2.041.3–3.04	1.851.19–2.6	2.04
2059	2.031.28–3.04	1.841.17–2.62	2.04
2060	2.021.28–3.08	1.841.15–2.62	2.03
2061	2.011.27–3.07	1.831.17–2.61	2.02
2062	21.27–3.03	1.831.15–2.6	2.02
2063	1.991.26–3.01	1.821.17–2.58	2.01
2064	1.981.24–2.99	1.821.16–2.6	2
2065	1.971.22–2.97	1.821.16–2.6	2
2066	1.971.21–2.98	1.811.14–2.57	1.99
2067	1.961.2–2.98	1.811.14–2.56	1.98
2068	1.951.19–2.95	1.81.13–2.54	1.98
2069	1.951.2–2.92	1.81.12–2.53	1.97
2070	1.941.19–2.94	1.81.14–2.54	1.97
2071	1.931.18–2.94	1.791.16–2.56	1.96
2072	1.931.16–2.92	1.791.15–2.56	1.96
2073	1.921.16–2.9	1.791.14–2.53	1.95
2074	1.921.16–2.89	1.781.16–2.54	1.95
2075	1.911.16–2.87	1.781.15–2.54	1.94
2076	1.911.16–2.83	1.781.13–2.52	1.94
2077	1.91.18–2.82	1.781.13–2.55	1.94
2078	1.91.16–2.84	1.771.12–2.52	1.93
2079	1.891.15–2.81	1.771.11–2.52	1.93
2080	1.891.17–2.83	1.771.11–2.51	1.92
2081	1.881.16–2.82	1.771.09–2.52	1.92
2082	1.881.14–2.77	1.761.11–2.51	1.91
2083	1.871.14–2.76	1.761.08–2.54	1.91
2084	1.871.12–2.75	1.761.09–2.54	1.91
2085	1.861.12–2.76	1.761.09–2.5	1.9
2086	1.861.12–2.76	1.761.09–2.52	1.9
2087	1.851.1–2.77	1.761.09–2.52	1.89
2088	1.851.12–2.77	1.761.09–2.5	1.89
2089	1.841.09–2.78	1.751.06–2.52	1.88
2090	1.841.1–2.75	1.751.06–2.53	1.88
2091	1.841.09–2.73	1.751.04–2.53	1.88
2092	1.831.1–2.72	1.751.05–2.52	1.87
2093	1.831.09–2.73	1.751.06–2.55	1.87
2094	1.821.09–2.71	1.751.06–2.54	1.86
2095	1.821.1–2.7	1.751.04–2.52	1.86
2096	1.821.09–2.66	1.741.04–2.53	1.85
2097	1.811.15–2.66	1.751.02–2.51	1.85
2098	1.811.13–2.66	1.741.01–2.52	1.85
2099	1.81.1–2.66	1.741.01–2.53	1.84
2100	1.81.11–2.67	1.741–2.54	1.84

Each country on its own

Good to know

The children a woman would have over her life at the year’s birth rates for each age.
Source: UN DESA, World Population Prospects 2024.
The dashed line is the UN projection (medium variant), a scenario rather than a forecast; the band is its 95% prediction interval.
Ranks count the 229 countries with a value in 2023, highest first.
The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time

Lesotho vs South Africa: Fertility rate

What the numbers say

Every year

Each country on its own

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Lesotho vs South Africa

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