Fertility Rate of the World

Above replacement

—

countries growing

Below replacement

—

countries shrinking

Highest fertility

5.94

Chad (rank #1)

Lowest fertility

0.69

Macau (rank #237)

World average

2.24

total fertility rate

🌍 Sub-Saharan Africa

~92% above replacement ~8% below

🌍 North Africa & Middle East

~55% above ~45% below

🌏 East & Southeast Asia

~12% above ~88% below replacement

🌎 Latin America & Caribbean

~35% above ~65% below replacement

🌏 Central & South Asia

~65% above ~35% below

🌍 Europe & North America

~2% above ~98% below replacement

Reading the map: The green belt — anchored in Sub-Saharan Africa (Chad leads at 5.94) and extending through Central Asia, the Middle East, and pockets of Central America — marks populations still in the expansive phase of demographic transition. The vast red canvas of Europe, East Asia, and North America reflects sub-replacement fertility. Some results may surprise you: Philippines (1.88), Indonesia (2.10), Argentina (1.51), Peru (1.94), and Ecuador (1.79) have all crossed below the replacement threshold. Even Iran (1.67) and Brazil (1.60) — once bywords for rapid growth — are now firmly in the red zone. At the extreme low end, South Korea (0.75) and Macau (0.69) represent the lowest fertility rates ever reliably recorded. Hover any country to explore its exact TFR and global rank.