Birth Rate by Country in 2026

2026 medium projection

The crude birth rate measures how many babies are born each year relative to the whole population. It sets the width of the newest bar at the base of every pyramid.

Countries and areas: 237
Highest-ranked: Central African Republic44.7
Rank 10: Afghanistan33.8
End of table: Vatican City4.4

Estimate or projection?

The UN series provides historical estimates through 2023. Figures from 2024 onward—including 2026—are medium-scenario projections, not counts or predictions guaranteed to occur.

Complete birth rate by country in 2026 ranking

Select any country to inspect its full age-by-sex structure and projections.

Download CSV

Birth Rate by Country in 2026
Rank	Country or area	Region	Births per 1,000	Births in 2026
1	Central African Republic	Africa	44.7	254,783
2	Chad	Africa	42.2	909,765
3	Somalia	Africa	41.2	836,420
4	Niger	Africa	40.2	1,157,021
5	Democratic Republic of the Congo	Africa	39.8	4,634,979
6	Mali	Africa	38.8	1,005,407
7	Angola	Africa	36.3	1,461,075
8	Mozambique	Africa	36.1	1,323,752
9	Tanzania	Africa	33.9	2,459,538
10	Afghanistan	Asia	33.8	1,520,756
11	Mauritania	Africa	33.2	181,311
12	Uganda	Africa	33.1	1,746,979
13	Mayotte	Africa	33.0	11,466
14	Yemen	Asia	32.7	1,406,796
15	Benin	Africa	32.6	494,197
16	Cameroon	Africa	32.4	991,664
17	Guinea	Africa	32.2	497,357
18	Burundi	Africa	32.0	471,624
18	Zambia	Africa	32.0	721,060
20	Nigeria	Africa	31.8	7,711,752
20	Sudan	Africa	31.8	1,694,024
22	Madagascar	Africa	30.8	1,033,723
23	Ivory Coast	Africa	30.7	1,028,953
24	Burkina Faso	Africa	30.4	747,913
24	Malawi	Africa	30.4	692,256
26	Ethiopia	Africa	30.3	4,213,081
27	Togo	Africa	30.1	299,393
28	Liberia	Africa	29.9	174,971
28	Republic of the Congo	Africa	29.9	198,689
30	South Sudan	Africa	29.4	365,962
31	Zimbabwe	Africa	29.3	505,305
32	Equatorial Guinea	Africa	29.2	57,895
33	Sierra Leone	Africa	29.0	261,328
34	Gambia	Africa	28.7	82,634
34	Guinea-Bissau	Africa	28.7	66,031
36	Eritrea	Africa	28.6	105,398
36	Senegal	Africa	28.6	554,508
38	Sao Tome and Principe	Africa	27.7	6,777
39	Rwanda	Africa	27.5	409,278
40	Comoros	Africa	27.4	24,599
41	Vanuatu	Oceania	26.8	9,193
42	Pakistan	Asia	26.7	6,935,665
43	Kenya	Africa	26.6	1,558,303
44	Gabon	Africa	26.2	69,484
45	Solomon Islands	Oceania	26.1	22,440
46	State of Palestine	Asia	25.4	144,467
47	Ghana	Africa	25.3	903,735
48	Iraq	Asia	25.0	1,200,201
48	Namibia	Africa	25.0	78,927
50	Samoa	Oceania	24.4	5,373
51	Kiribati	Oceania	24.3	3,370
52	Tajikistan	Asia	23.8	261,679
53	French Guiana	Latin America and the Caribbean	23.7	7,560
53	Uzbekistan	Asia	23.7	894,379
55	Nauru	Oceania	23.6	286
55	Syria	Asia	23.6	625,121
57	Papua New Guinea	Oceania	23.5	257,492
58	Botswana	Africa	23.4	60,884
59	Lesotho	Africa	23.1	55,312
60	Eswatini	Africa	22.9	29,062
61	Tonga	Oceania	22.6	2,339
62	Micronesia	Oceania	22.0	2,509
63	Timor-Leste	Asia	21.4	30,774
64	Haiti	Latin America and the Caribbean	21.3	256,749
65	Honduras	Latin America and the Caribbean	20.9	234,199
66	Bolivia	Latin America and the Caribbean	20.5	261,496
66	Egypt	Africa	20.5	2,459,317
66	Tokelau	Oceania	20.5	55
66	Tuvalu	Oceania	20.5	192
70	Djibouti	Africa	20.4	24,494
71	Guatemala	Latin America and the Caribbean	20.1	380,396
71	Kyrgyzstan	Asia	20.1	148,668
71	Laos	Asia	20.1	160,077
74	Cambodia	Asia	19.5	352,442
74	Marshall Islands	Oceania	19.5	682
76	Bangladesh	Asia	19.2	3,407,860
76	Guyana	Latin America and the Caribbean	19.2	16,120
76	Jordan	Asia	19.2	222,912
76	Turkmenistan	Asia	19.2	148,664
80	Paraguay	Latin America and the Caribbean	19.0	134,692
81	Kazakhstan	Asia	18.5	390,247
81	Nicaragua	Latin America and the Caribbean	18.5	131,205
83	Nepal	Asia	18.3	542,047
84	Israel	Asia	17.8	171,923
84	South Africa	Africa	17.8	1,167,803
86	Belize	Latin America and the Caribbean	17.4	7,471
86	Fiji	Oceania	17.4	16,340
88	Algeria	Africa	17.3	832,197
89	Dominican Republic	Latin America and the Caribbean	17.0	196,929
90	Mongolia	Asia	16.9	60,067
91	Guam	Oceania	16.8	2,851
91	Suriname	Latin America and the Caribbean	16.8	10,815
93	Saudi Arabia	Asia	16.1	567,889
94	Myanmar	Asia	16.0	881,077
94	Oman	Asia	16.0	90,828
96	Libya	Africa	15.8	118,954
96	Morocco	Africa	15.8	613,838
98	Lebanon	Asia	15.7	92,671
98	Philippines	Asia	15.7	1,853,794
100	India	Asia	15.6	22,988,461
101	Panama	Latin America and the Caribbean	15.5	71,573
102	Indonesia	Asia	15.4	4,419,970
103	Peru	Latin America and the Caribbean	15.3	532,846
103	Venezuela	Latin America and the Caribbean	15.3	439,529
105	El Salvador	Latin America and the Caribbean	15.2	96,922
106	Mexico	Latin America and the Caribbean	15.0	1,989,217
107	Niue	Oceania	14.9	27
108	Western Sahara	Africa	14.7	9,008
109	American Samoa	Oceania	14.5	657
109	Ecuador	Latin America and the Caribbean	14.5	267,031
111	New Caledonia	Oceania	13.6	4,038
111	Sri Lanka	Asia	13.6	316,459
113	Seychelles	Africa	13.2	1,786
114	Faroe Islands	Europe	12.8	726
114	Greenland	Northern America	12.8	714
114	Réunion	Africa	12.8	11,325
114	Vietnam	Asia	12.8	1,307,471
118	Brunei	Asia	12.7	5,974
118	Colombia	Latin America and the Caribbean	12.7	684,798
120	Tunisia	Africa	12.6	156,979
121	Gibraltar	Europe	12.3	502
121	North Korea	Asia	12.3	328,497
123	Bhutan	Asia	12.2	9,783
124	Malaysia	Asia	12.1	440,401
125	Cabo Verde	Africa	12.0	6,330
125	Saint Martin (French part)	Latin America and the Caribbean	12.0	287
127	Bahrain	Asia	11.9	19,865
127	Turkey	Asia	11.9	1,045,681
129	Iran	Asia	11.8	1,101,751
130	Brazil	Latin America and the Caribbean	11.7	2,492,914
130	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Latin America and the Caribbean	11.7	1,157
132	Kosovo	Europe	11.6	19,260
133	Armenia	Asia	11.5	33,694
134	Antigua and Barbuda	Latin America and the Caribbean	11.4	1,079
134	Azerbaijan	Asia	11.4	119,620
136	Saint Kitts and Nevis	Latin America and the Caribbean	11.2	528
137	Argentina	Latin America and the Caribbean	11.1	510,178
137	Australia	Oceania	11.1	303,345
137	Jamaica	Latin America and the Caribbean	11.1	31,322
140	Barbados	Latin America and the Caribbean	11.0	3,107
140	Grenada	Latin America and the Caribbean	11.0	1,296
140	New Zealand	Oceania	11.0	57,999
143	Cayman Islands	Latin America and the Caribbean	10.9	843
143	Georgia	Asia	10.9	41,353
143	Northern Mariana Islands	Oceania	10.9	468
143	Saint Lucia	Latin America and the Caribbean	10.9	1,959
143	United States Virgin Islands	Latin America and the Caribbean	10.9	909
148	Iceland	Europe	10.8	4,346
149	Dominica	Latin America and the Caribbean	10.7	700
149	Montenegro	Europe	10.7	6,694
151	Bahamas	Latin America and the Caribbean	10.5	4,268
151	Palau	Oceania	10.5	184
151	United States	Northern America	10.5	3,673,260
154	Cook Islands	Oceania	10.4	133
155	French Polynesia	Oceania	10.3	2,916
155	Guadeloupe	Latin America and the Caribbean	10.3	3,854
155	United Arab Emirates	Asia	10.3	119,325
158	Turks and Caicos Islands	Latin America and the Caribbean	10.2	479
159	Luxembourg	Europe	10.1	6,943
159	Moldova	Europe	10.1	29,962
159	Trinidad and Tobago	Latin America and the Caribbean	10.1	15,251
162	Falkland Islands (Malvinas)	Latin America and the Caribbean	10.0	34
163	Cyprus	Asia	9.9	13,687
163	Denmark	Europe	9.9	59,616
165	Ireland	Europe	9.8	52,626
165	Maldives	Asia	9.8	5,224
167	Albania	Europe	9.7	26,604
167	Costa Rica	Latin America and the Caribbean	9.7	50,203
167	Kuwait	Asia	9.7	49,465
167	Monaco	Europe	9.7	369
167	Qatar	Asia	9.7	30,830
167	United Kingdom	Europe	9.7	678,001
167	Uruguay	Latin America and the Caribbean	9.7	32,873
174	Martinique	Latin America and the Caribbean	9.6	3,248
175	Aruba	Latin America and the Caribbean	9.5	1,025
175	France	Europe	9.5	633,972
175	Netherlands	Europe	9.5	176,063
178	Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba	Latin America and the Caribbean	9.4	299
178	Norway	Europe	9.4	53,084
178	Romania	Europe	9.4	176,198
181	Anguilla	Latin America and the Caribbean	9.3	137
182	Liechtenstein	Europe	9.2	370
183	Sweden	Europe	9.0	96,301
183	Switzerland	Europe	9.0	80,644
185	Bulgaria	Europe	8.9	59,343
185	Canada	Northern America	8.9	361,315
185	Mauritius	Africa	8.9	11,254
185	North Macedonia	Europe	8.9	16,027
185	Sint Maarten (Dutch part)	Latin America and the Caribbean	8.9	398
190	Slovakia	Europe	8.8	47,925
191	Hungary	Europe	8.7	83,010
192	Belgium	Europe	8.6	100,860
192	Serbia	Europe	8.6	57,151
192	Singapore	Asia	8.6	50,564
192	Wallis and Futuna Islands	Oceania	8.6	95
196	Chile	Latin America and the Caribbean	8.5	169,096
196	Cuba	Latin America and the Caribbean	8.5	92,314
196	Russia	Europe	8.5	1,213,374
199	Montserrat	Latin America and the Caribbean	8.4	36
200	Austria	Europe	8.2	74,449
200	Germany	Europe	8.2	689,997
200	Portugal	Europe	8.2	85,260
203	Guernsey	Europe	8.1	524
203	Isle of Man	Europe	8.1	682
203	Jersey	Europe	8.1	844
206	British Virgin Islands	Latin America and the Caribbean	8.0	321
206	Croatia	Europe	8.0	30,609
206	Slovenia	Europe	8.0	16,897
209	Czechia	Europe	7.9	83,205
209	Thailand	Asia	7.9	566,113
211	Bermuda	Northern America	7.8	500
211	Finland	Europe	7.8	43,863
213	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Europe	7.7	24,034
213	Lithuania	Europe	7.7	21,457
213	Malta	Europe	7.7	4,222
216	Curaçao	Latin America and the Caribbean	7.6	1,400
216	Estonia	Europe	7.6	10,156
218	Poland	Europe	7.5	283,495
219	Latvia	Europe	7.3	13,328
220	Saint Helena	Africa	7.1	37
221	Andorra	Europe	6.9	575
221	Belarus	Europe	6.9	61,280
223	Greece	Europe	6.8	67,361
223	Spain	Europe	6.8	327,412
225	Italy	Europe	6.4	379,621
226	China	Asia	6.1	8,625,232
226	Japan	Asia	6.1	745,943
226	Macao	Asia	6.1	4,437
226	Ukraine	Europe	6.1	242,008
230	Puerto Rico	Latin America and the Caribbean	5.9	19,121
231	San Marino	Europe	5.8	195
232	Saint Barthélemy	Latin America and the Caribbean	5.3	62
232	Saint Pierre and Miquelon	Northern America	5.3	29
232	Taiwan	Asia	5.3	122,589
235	Hong Kong	Asia	5.2	38,112
236	South Korea	Asia	4.8	249,556
237	Vatican City	Europe	4.4	2

What this ranking measures—and what it does not

Definition

Live births during the year per 1,000 people in the mid-year population. Unlike the total fertility rate, it depends on age structure: a population with many women of childbearing age can have a high birth rate even when each woman has fewer children.

Why it matters

Births determine the size of future school cohorts and, decades later, of the workforce. Comparing the birth rate with the death rate shows whether a population grows or shrinks before migration is counted.

Read with care

A crude rate mixes fertility with age structure, so it should be read alongside the fertility rate. 2026 values are medium-scenario projections, and small populations can show large year-to-year variation.

What stands out in this comparison

Central African Republic leads with 44.7, while Afghanistan is at rank 10 with 33.8. At the other end of the complete table, Vatican City has 4.4.

Those positions describe this particular indicator, definition, and reference period. They do not imply that every country near the top has the same population pyramid or demographic path. Open the profiles to compare the underlying cohorts.

First five

Central African Republic — rank 1, 44.7; births in 2026 254,783.
Chad — rank 2, 42.2; births in 2026 909,765.
Somalia — rank 3, 41.2; births in 2026 836,420.
Niger — rank 4, 40.2; births in 2026 1,157,021.
Democratic Republic of the Congo — rank 5, 39.8; births in 2026 4,634,979.

Other end of the table

Vatican City — rank 237, 4.4; births in 2026 2.
South Korea — rank 236, 4.8; births in 2026 249,556.
Hong Kong — rank 235, 5.2; births in 2026 38,112.
Taiwan — rank 232, 5.3; births in 2026 122,589.
Saint Pierre and Miquelon — rank 232, 5.3; births in 2026 29.

Questions about this ranking

Which country or area ranks first for births per 1,000?

Central African Republic ranks first in this comparison with 44.7. The table uses 2026 medium projection from UN World Population Prospects 2024.

Which values are estimates and which are projections?

In World Population Prospects 2024, historical estimates run through 2023 and values from 2024 onward are projections. The peak-year table labels historical and projected results separately.

Why might another source show a different rank?

Sources can use different reference dates, revisions, country definitions, estimation methods, or projection scenarios. Close ranks can also change after revisions.