Children per woman

In brief

The "Children per woman" ranking covers 213 countries and territories. Lowest value: Macao SAR China (0.58 children/woman). Highest value: Chad (6.03 children/woman). Median: 1.9 children/woman (data: 2024). The top 10% of countries exceed 4.11 children/woman, while the bottom 10% stay below 1.24 children/woman. By continent, the median is highest in Africa (3.91 children/woman) and lowest in Europe (1.41 children/woman).

Median by continent

Why this indicator matters

The number of children per woman determines whether a population grows, stabilizes or shrinks in the long run. It is a key benchmark for comparing demographic trends.

What makes this indicator vary

It depends on girls' education, women's employment, access to contraception, age at marriage, the cost of housing and of children, and cultural choices.

Reading precautions

It is an indicator calculated for a given year, not the actual number of children of each generation. Values come from UN estimates, which may be revised.