Children per woman vs population growth in South Africa

South Africa: Children per woman vs population growth was 0.9536 in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
0.9536
Change on year
down 1.5%
World rank
102nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
2.73
in 1969
All-time low
0.7421
in 2021
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Children per woman vs population growth in South Africa, 1950–2023

0.511.522.5195019862023

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 0.9536 for children per woman vs population growth in 2023.

The figure is down 1.5% on the previous year and down 20.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, children per woman vs population growth in South Africa peaked at 2.73 in 1969 and was at its lowest, 0.7421, in 2021.

That places South Africa 102nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.

Children per woman vs population growth in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Children per woman vs population growth in South Africa, 1950 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1950 1.94 —
1951 2.04 +5.2%
1952 2.13 +4.4%
1953 2.21 +3.7%
1954 2.28 +3.2%
1955 2.35 +3.1%
1956 2.41 +2.5%
1957 2.46 +2.3%
1958 2.52 +2.2%
1959 2.53 +0.7%
1960 2.56 +1.2%
1961 2.59 +1.1%
1962 2.62 +1.0%
1963 2.64 +0.9%
1964 2.65 +0.4%
1965 2.65 +0.1%
1966 2.72 +2.4%
1967 2.73 +0.3%
1968 2.73 +0.1%
1969 2.73 +0.2%
1970 2.72 -0.6%
1971 2.72 +0.3%
1972 2.71 -0.6%
1973 2.68 -0.9%
1974 2.63 -1.8%
1975 2.6 -1.3%
1976 2.56 -1.6%
1977 2.51 -1.8%
1978 2.49 -0.8%
1979 2.5 +0.4%
1980 2.5 -0.0%
1981 2.51 +0.5%
1982 2.55 +1.6%
1983 2.56 +0.1%
1984 2.56 +0.3%
1985 2.55 -0.5%
1986 2.5 -2.1%
1987 2.47 -1.1%
1988 2.36 -4.4%
1989 2.23 -5.5%
1990 2.05 -8.2%
1991 1.98 -3.2%
1992 1.87 -5.7%
1993 1.82 -2.6%
1994 1.59 -12.9%
1995 1.67 +5.1%
1996 1.58 -5.6%
1997 1.46 -7.2%
1998 1.36 -7.3%
1999 1.27 -6.2%
2000 1.12 -12.2%
2001 1.02 -8.8%
2002 0.8974 -12.0%
2003 0.8557 -4.6%
2004 0.9033 +5.6%
2005 0.9385 +3.9%
2006 0.9752 +3.9%
2007 0.9966 +2.2%
2008 1.16 +16.9%
2009 1.07 -8.0%
2010 1.08 +1.1%
2011 1.14 +4.8%
2012 1.2 +5.4%
2013 1.19 -0.3%
2014 1.21 +1.7%
2015 1.18 -2.9%
2016 1.12 -5.0%
2017 1.12 +0.1%
2018 1.11 -1.3%
2019 1.09 -1.1%
2020 0.9839 -10.1%
2021 0.7421 -24.6%
2022 0.9677 +30.4%
2023 0.9536 -1.5%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 0.9536 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.8259, 1.2× the median. (58 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 0.9536 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.39, 40% of the median. (48 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Children per woman vs population growth in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2022 +30.4% 0.7421 0.9677

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 2.29 1.94 2.53 10
1960s 2.66 2.56 2.73 10
1970s 2.61 2.49 2.72 10
1980s 2.48 2.23 2.56 10
1990s 1.67 1.27 2.05 10
2000s 0.9939 0.8557 1.16 10
2010s 1.14 1.08 1.21 10
2020s 0.9118 0.7421 0.9839 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 99 Ecuador 0.9905 compare
  2. 100 Philippines 0.9783 compare
  3. 101 Mexico 0.9545 compare
  4. 103 India 0.9535 compare
  5. 104 Western Sahara 0.9159 compare
  6. 105 Qatar 0.8978 compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More population data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is children per woman vs population growth in South Africa?
Children per woman vs population growth in South Africa was 0.9536 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest children per woman vs population growth recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 2.73 in 1969.
What is the lowest children per woman vs population growth recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.7421 in 2021.
How does South Africa rank for children per woman vs population growth?
South Africa ranks 102nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is children per woman vs population growth rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 20.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Children per woman vs population growth. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Children per woman vs population growth in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 11 November 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/children-per-woman-vs-population-growth/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Children per woman vs population growth
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed