Malawi vs Rwanda: Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate
Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate over time
- Malawi
- Rwanda
How they compare
Rwanda currently reports 3.65 births per woman against 3.59 births per woman in Malawi, a difference of 0.06 births per woman.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 65 shared years of data; in 1960 it was Rwanda ahead.
Malawi ranks 41st and Rwanda ranks 38th of 215 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Malawi averaged higher in 3 and Rwanda in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malawi | Rwanda | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 7.15 births per woman | 8.24 births per woman | 1.09 births per woman | Rwanda |
| 1970s | 7.37 births per woman | 8.12 births per woman | 0.7496 births per woman | Rwanda |
| 1980s | 7.2 births per woman | 7.73 births per woman | 0.5306 births per woman | Rwanda |
| 1990s | 6.43 births per woman | 6.4 births per woman | 0.0392 births per woman | Malawi |
| 2000s | 5.8 births per woman | 5.47 births per woman | 0.3365 births per woman | Malawi |
| 2010s | 4.53 births per woman | 4.16 births per woman | 0.3624 births per woman | Malawi |
| 2020s | 3.73 births per woman | 3.77 births per woman | 0.0498 births per woman | Rwanda |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate, Malawi or Rwanda?
- Rwanda, at 3.65 births per woman against 3.59 births per woman in Malawi as of 2024.
- What is the difference in total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate between Malawi and Rwanda?
- 0.06 births per woman, with Rwanda ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malawi and Rwanda?
- 65 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2024.
- How do Malawi and Rwanda rank globally for total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate?
- Malawi ranks 41st and Rwanda ranks 38th of 215 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The total fertility rate summarizes the total number of births a woman would have, if she experienced the birth rates seen in women of each age group in one particular year across her childbearing years. The wanted fertility is an estimate of what the total fertility rate would be if all unwanted births were avoided, based on survey data.