Birth rate in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Birth rate was 31.9 births per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
31.9 births per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 1.6%
World rank
25th
of 236 countries
All-time high
51.56 births per 1,000 people
in 1985
All-time low
31.9 births per 1,000 people
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Birth rate in Ethiopia, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per 1,000 people.
Analysis
In 2023, birth rate in Ethiopia stood at 31.9 births per 1,000 people. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is down 1.6% on the previous year and down 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth rate in Ethiopia peaked at 51.56 births per 1,000 people in 1985 and was at its lowest, 31.9 births per 1,000 people, in 2023.
Ethiopia ranks 25th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Birth rate in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | births per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 45.22 births per 1,000 people | — |
| 1951 | 45.48 births per 1,000 people | +0.6% |
| 1952 | 45.77 births per 1,000 people | +0.6% |
| 1953 | 46.08 births per 1,000 people | +0.7% |
| 1954 | 46.31 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1955 | 46.45 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1956 | 46.59 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1957 | 46.87 births per 1,000 people | +0.6% |
| 1958 | 47.27 births per 1,000 people | +0.9% |
| 1959 | 47.6 births per 1,000 people | +0.7% |
| 1960 | 47.87 births per 1,000 people | +0.6% |
| 1961 | 48.13 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1962 | 48.45 births per 1,000 people | +0.7% |
| 1963 | 48.72 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1964 | 49.05 births per 1,000 people | +0.7% |
| 1965 | 49.27 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1966 | 49.51 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1967 | 49.59 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1968 | 49.54 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1969 | 49.56 births per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 49.73 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1971 | 49.86 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1972 | 49.96 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1973 | 50.12 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1974 | 50.37 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1975 | 50.63 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1976 | 50.72 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 51.24 births per 1,000 people | +1.0% |
| 1978 | 50.99 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1979 | 51.29 births per 1,000 people | +0.6% |
| 1980 | 51.44 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1981 | 50.33 births per 1,000 people | -2.1% |
| 1982 | 50.82 births per 1,000 people | +1.0% |
| 1983 | 51.1 births per 1,000 people | +0.6% |
| 1984 | 51.38 births per 1,000 people | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 51.56 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 51.5 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 51.18 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1988 | 50.93 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 50.81 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1990 | 50.79 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 50.25 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 1992 | 50.4 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 50.06 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 49.63 births per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 49 births per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 1996 | 48.55 births per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 47.86 births per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 1998 | 46.98 births per 1,000 people | -1.8% |
| 1999 | 46.39 births per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 45.59 births per 1,000 people | -1.7% |
| 2001 | 44.99 births per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 44.26 births per 1,000 people | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 43.33 births per 1,000 people | -2.1% |
| 2004 | 42.71 births per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 42.1 births per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 41.09 births per 1,000 people | -2.4% |
| 2007 | 40.05 births per 1,000 people | -2.5% |
| 2008 | 38.89 births per 1,000 people | -2.9% |
| 2009 | 37.54 births per 1,000 people | -3.5% |
| 2010 | 36.57 births per 1,000 people | -2.6% |
| 2011 | 35.67 births per 1,000 people | -2.5% |
| 2012 | 34.56 births per 1,000 people | -3.1% |
| 2013 | 33.64 births per 1,000 people | -2.7% |
| 2014 | 33.41 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 33.33 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 33.33 births per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 33.22 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 33.39 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 33.55 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 33.31 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 32.88 births per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 2022 | 32.41 births per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 31.9 births per 1,000 people | -1.6% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 31.9 births per 1,000 people is below the median for low income countries, which is 32.09 births per 1,000 people, 99% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 31.9 births per 1,000 people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 31.17 births per 1,000 people, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 46.36 births per 1,000 people | 45.22 births per 1,000 people | 47.6 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 48.97 births per 1,000 people | 47.87 births per 1,000 people | 49.59 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 50.49 births per 1,000 people | 49.73 births per 1,000 people | 51.29 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 51.1 births per 1,000 people | 50.33 births per 1,000 people | 51.56 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 48.99 births per 1,000 people | 46.39 births per 1,000 people | 50.79 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 42.06 births per 1,000 people | 37.54 births per 1,000 people | 45.59 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 34.07 births per 1,000 people | 33.22 births per 1,000 people | 36.57 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.63 births per 1,000 people | 31.9 births per 1,000 people | 33.31 births per 1,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
- 22 Togo 32.64 births per 1,000 people compare
- 23 Madagascar 32.09 births per 1,000 people compare
- 24 Cote d'Ivoire 31.99 births per 1,000 people compare
- 26 Burkina Faso 31.64 births per 1,000 people compare
- 27 Malawi 31.38 births per 1,000 people compare
- 28 Liberia 30.96 births per 1,000 people compare
More population data for Ethiopia
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.4782 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 1.28 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.4782 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.2918 % change on previous year (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.229 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth 0.5% (2100)
- Population density 325.45 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 23.22 million people (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development 0.5% (2100)
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas, annual growth rate 4.7 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is birth rate in Ethiopia?
- Birth rate in Ethiopia was 31.9 births per 1,000 people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest birth rate recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 51.56 births per 1,000 people in 1985.
- What is the lowest birth rate recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.9 births per 1,000 people in 2023.
- How does Ethiopia rank for birth rate?
- Ethiopia ranks 25th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is birth rate rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Birth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of live births in a year per 1,000 people in the population.