Saudi Arabia vs South Africa: Fertility rate

Fertility rate in 2023: 2.28 births per woman in Saudi Arabia and 2.22 births per woman in South Africa, by UN estimates. In 2023 the value was higher in Saudi Arabia, by 0.06 births per woman, or 1.03 times that in South Africa.

Watch it change on the map

births per woman · UN

Saudi ArabiaSouth AfricaUN projection (medium variant)95% prediction intervalWorld

What the numbers say

Saudi Arabia has been higher since 2023, when it overtook South Africa.
In 2023, Saudi Arabia ranked 89 and South Africa ranked 96 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
The UN projection (medium variant) puts Saudi Arabia at 1.72 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	Saudi Arabia	South Africa	World
2023	2.28	2.22	2.25
2022	2.14	2.23	2.27
2021	2.17	2.25	2.29
2020	2.27	2.26	2.32
2019	2.49	2.26	2.4
2018	2.67	2.27	2.44
2017	2.67	2.28	2.5
2016	2.65	2.26	2.54
2015	2.63	2.36	2.54
2014	2.68	2.42	2.56
2013	2.67	2.43	2.57
2012	2.78	2.45	2.61
2011	2.8	2.44	2.59
2010	2.81	2.45	2.6
2009	2.95	2.5	2.62
2008	3.07	2.68	2.63
2007	3.19	2.55	2.62
2006	3.18	2.55	2.63
2005	3.16	2.51	2.63
2004	3.26	2.44	2.65
2003	3.47	2.36	2.66
2002	3.71	2.32	2.68
2001	3.96	2.37	2.71
2000	4.21	2.41	2.75
1999	4.35	2.56	2.75
1998	4.52	2.63	2.78
1997	4.66	2.73	2.81
1996	4.81	2.99	2.85
1995	4.99	3.17	2.89
1994	5.16	3.26	2.93
1993	5.33	3.37	2.98
1992	5.49	3.48	3.04
1991	5.64	3.62	3.13
1990	5.8	3.72	3.31
1989	5.97	3.98	3.35
1988	6.15	4.18	3.39
1987	6.34	4.35	3.48
1986	6.52	4.41	3.5
1985	6.65	4.5	3.51
1984	6.78	4.57	3.55
1983	6.88	4.63	3.58
1982	6.98	4.7	3.71
1981	7.07	4.71	3.71
1980	7.15	4.78	3.74
1979	7.23	4.82	3.77
1978	7.26	4.85	3.79
1977	7.3	4.94	3.85
1976	7.33	5.07	3.97
1975	7.37	5.19	4.08
1974	7.43	5.3	4.26
1973	7.48	5.41	4.42
1972	7.54	5.49	4.55
1971	7.56	5.57	4.68
1970	7.58	5.63	4.83
1969	7.6	5.72	4.87
1968	7.63	5.78	4.96
1967	7.66	5.85	4.85
1966	7.66	5.91	4.96
1965	7.66	5.89	5.07
1964	7.67	5.96	5.12
1963	7.65	6.01	5.31
1962	7.64	6.05	5.02
1961	7.63	6.08	4.57
1960	7.63	6.11	4.7
1959	7.62	6.13	4.74
1958	7.6	6.14	4.93
1957	7.6	6.14	5.07
1956	7.59	6.13	4.93
1955	7.59	6.13	5
1954	7.59	6.11	5
1953	7.59	6.09	4.92
1952	7.58	6.08	5
1951	7.58	6.06	4.82
1950	7.58	6.03	4.85

UN projection (medium variant) · 2024–2100

Year	Saudi Arabia	South Africa	World
2024	2.312.01–2.6	2.211.75–2.69	2.25
2025	2.291.93–2.67	2.191.68–2.71	2.24
2026	2.271.87–2.7	2.171.64–2.72	2.23
2027	2.251.79–2.71	2.151.6–2.73	2.22
2028	2.221.75–2.75	2.131.58–2.75	2.21
2029	2.21.69–2.76	2.121.54–2.76	2.2
2030	2.171.64–2.76	2.11.51–2.78	2.2
2031	2.151.58–2.77	2.091.48–2.79	2.19
2032	2.131.56–2.74	2.071.47–2.76	2.18
2033	2.111.52–2.77	2.061.45–2.74	2.17
2034	2.091.47–2.76	2.051.43–2.76	2.16
2035	2.071.43–2.81	2.041.41–2.77	2.15
2036	2.051.43–2.79	2.031.41–2.77	2.15
2037	2.031.39–2.77	2.021.35–2.76	2.14
2038	2.011.37–2.75	21.34–2.75	2.13
2039	21.35–2.69	1.991.31–2.76	2.13
2040	1.981.33–2.72	1.981.3–2.79	2.13
2041	1.971.31–2.73	1.981.31–2.78	2.12
2042	1.951.3–2.7	1.971.29–2.79	2.12
2043	1.941.27–2.67	1.961.29–2.77	2.12
2044	1.931.25–2.67	1.951.29–2.77	2.12
2045	1.931.24–2.7	1.941.28–2.73	2.12
2046	1.911.21–2.68	1.931.27–2.72	2.11
2047	1.91.19–2.68	1.921.27–2.76	2.11
2048	1.891.17–2.7	1.911.26–2.74	2.11
2049	1.891.16–2.68	1.91.26–2.74	2.1
2050	1.881.16–2.65	1.891.23–2.72	2.1
2051	1.871.17–2.65	1.891.22–2.71	2.09
2052	1.861.16–2.61	1.881.22–2.7	2.09
2053	1.851.12–2.61	1.881.22–2.68	2.08
2054	1.851.15–2.59	1.871.21–2.69	2.07
2055	1.841.16–2.58	1.871.2–2.66	2.07
2056	1.831.14–2.55	1.861.2–2.62	2.06
2057	1.831.12–2.55	1.851.21–2.61	2.05
2058	1.821.11–2.57	1.851.19–2.6	2.04
2059	1.821.1–2.57	1.841.17–2.62	2.04
2060	1.811.11–2.58	1.841.15–2.62	2.03
2061	1.811.1–2.54	1.831.17–2.61	2.02
2062	1.81.08–2.55	1.831.15–2.6	2.02
2063	1.81.07–2.54	1.821.17–2.58	2.01
2064	1.791.07–2.52	1.821.16–2.6	2
2065	1.791.09–2.51	1.821.16–2.6	2
2066	1.791.07–2.52	1.811.14–2.57	1.99
2067	1.781.07–2.52	1.811.14–2.56	1.98
2068	1.781.07–2.51	1.81.13–2.54	1.98
2069	1.771.08–2.51	1.81.12–2.53	1.97
2070	1.771.06–2.51	1.81.14–2.54	1.97
2071	1.771.05–2.5	1.791.16–2.56	1.96
2072	1.761.05–2.49	1.791.15–2.56	1.96
2073	1.761.04–2.5	1.791.14–2.53	1.95
2074	1.761.02–2.5	1.781.16–2.54	1.95
2075	1.751.02–2.5	1.781.15–2.54	1.94
2076	1.751.02–2.5	1.781.13–2.52	1.94
2077	1.751.01–2.5	1.781.13–2.55	1.94
2078	1.751.01–2.5	1.771.12–2.52	1.93
2079	1.751–2.49	1.771.11–2.52	1.93
2080	1.751.01–2.48	1.771.11–2.51	1.92
2081	1.751.02–2.48	1.771.09–2.52	1.92
2082	1.741.02–2.48	1.761.11–2.51	1.91
2083	1.741.01–2.48	1.761.08–2.54	1.91
2084	1.731.01–2.48	1.761.09–2.54	1.91
2085	1.731.01–2.48	1.761.09–2.5	1.9
2086	1.731–2.47	1.761.09–2.52	1.9
2087	1.730.99–2.48	1.761.09–2.52	1.89
2088	1.730.99–2.5	1.761.09–2.5	1.89
2089	1.730.98–2.5	1.751.06–2.52	1.88
2090	1.730.98–2.49	1.751.06–2.53	1.88
2091	1.730.97–2.5	1.751.04–2.53	1.88
2092	1.730.96–2.5	1.751.05–2.52	1.87
2093	1.730.95–2.5	1.751.06–2.55	1.87
2094	1.720.98–2.52	1.751.06–2.54	1.86
2095	1.720.98–2.51	1.751.04–2.52	1.86
2096	1.720.98–2.53	1.741.04–2.53	1.85
2097	1.720.97–2.51	1.751.02–2.51	1.85
2098	1.720.98–2.52	1.741.01–2.52	1.85
2099	1.720.98–2.54	1.741.01–2.53	1.84
2100	1.720.99–2.52	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

Saudi Arabia vs South Africa

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Conflict

Deaths in conflictsSaudi Arabia: 31 deaths in 2022South Africa: 0 deaths in 2022