Rwanda vs Sierra Leone: Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception

Rwanda
3.65 births per woman
in 2024
Sierra Leone
3.7 births per woman
in 2024
Rwanda rank
38th
Sierra Leone rank
35th

Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception over time

  • Rwanda
  • Sierra Leone
02468196019922024

How they compare

Sierra Leone currently reports 3.7 births per woman against 3.65 births per woman in Rwanda, a difference of 0.05 births per woman.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 65 shared years of data; in 1960 it was Rwanda ahead.

Rwanda ranks 38th and Sierra Leone ranks 35th of 215 countries.

Across the 7 decades both report, Rwanda averaged higher in 3 and Sierra Leone in 4.

Head to head by decade

Decade Rwanda Sierra Leone Difference Ahead
1960s 8.24 births per woman 6.3 births per woman 1.94 births per woman Rwanda
1970s 8.12 births per woman 6.51 births per woman 1.6 births per woman Rwanda
1980s 7.73 births per woman 6.58 births per woman 1.15 births per woman Rwanda
1990s 6.4 births per woman 6.54 births per woman 0.14 births per woman Sierra Leone
2000s 5.47 births per woman 5.91 births per woman 0.4436 births per woman Sierra Leone
2010s 4.16 births per woman 4.71 births per woman 0.5427 births per woman Sierra Leone
2020s 3.77 births per woman 3.89 births per woman 0.1106 births per woman Sierra Leone

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception, Rwanda or Sierra Leone?
Sierra Leone, at 3.7 births per woman against 3.65 births per woman in Rwanda as of 2024.
What is the difference in fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception between Rwanda and Sierra Leone?
0.05 births per woman, with Sierra Leone ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Rwanda and Sierra Leone?
65 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2024.
How do Rwanda and Sierra Leone rank globally for fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception?
Rwanda ranks 38th and Sierra Leone ranks 35th 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 Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception
Unit
births per woman
Source
United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
215 places, 13,943 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed

The total fertility rate, in a given year. The unmet need for contraception shows the estimated share of married fertile women of reproductive age who do not want to become pregnant and are not using contraception.