Bangladesh vs South Africa: Fertility rate, total

Bangladesh
2.16 births per woman
in 2023
South Africa
2.22 births per woman
in 2023
Bangladesh rank
95th
South Africa rank
94th

Fertility rate, total over time

  • Bangladesh
  • South Africa
234567197019962023

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 2.22 births per woman against 2.16 births per woman in Bangladesh, a difference of 0.06 births per woman.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 54 shared years of data; in 1970 it was Bangladesh ahead.

Bangladesh ranks 95th and South Africa ranks 94th of 215 countries.

Across the 6 decades both report, Bangladesh averaged higher in 4 and South Africa in 2.

Head to head by decade

Decade Bangladesh South Africa Difference Ahead
1970s 6.7 births per woman 5.23 births per woman 1.47 births per woman Bangladesh
1980s 5.58 births per woman 4.48 births per woman 1.1 births per woman Bangladesh
1990s 3.77 births per woman 3.15 births per woman 0.6205 births per woman Bangladesh
2000s 2.89 births per woman 2.47 births per woman 0.4216 births per woman Bangladesh
2010s 2.25 births per woman 2.36 births per woman 0.1158 births per woman South Africa
2020s 2.17 births per woman 2.24 births per woman 0.0645 births per woman South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher fertility rate, total, Bangladesh or South Africa?
South Africa, at 2.22 births per woman against 2.16 births per woman in Bangladesh as of 2023.
What is the difference in fertility rate, total between Bangladesh and South Africa?
0.06 births per woman, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Bangladesh and South Africa?
54 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2023.
How do Bangladesh and South Africa rank globally for fertility rate, total?
Bangladesh ranks 95th and South Africa ranks 94th of 215 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Fertility rate, total (births per woman). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Bangladesh vs South Africa: Fertility rate, total. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/compare/fertility-rate-total-births-per-woman-2/bangladesh/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Fertility rate, total (births per woman)
Unit
births per woman
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
215 places, 11,590 data points, 1970–2023
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release