Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception was 4.76 births per woman in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
4.76 births per woman
Change on year
down 1.6%
World rank
9th
of 215 countries
All-time high
7.77 births per woman
in 1994
All-time low
4.76 births per woman
in 2024
Years of data
65
1960–2024

Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception in Afghanistan, 1960–2024

02468196019922024

Source: United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per woman.

Analysis

Afghanistan recorded 4.76 births per woman for fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 65 years on record.

The figure is down 1.6% on the previous year and down 17.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception in Afghanistan peaked at 7.77 births per woman in 1994 and was at its lowest, 4.76 births per woman, in 2024.

That places Afghanistan 9th out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 7.32 births per woman 7.28 births per woman 7.39 births per woman 10
1970s 7.52 births per woman 7.4 births per woman 7.61 births per woman 10
1980s 7.57 births per woman 7.55 births per woman 7.64 births per woman 10
1990s 7.7 births per woman 7.58 births per woman 7.77 births per woman 10
2000s 6.93 births per woman 6.29 births per woman 7.57 births per woman 10
2010s 5.71 births per woman 5.24 births per woman 6.2 births per woman 10
2020s 4.94 births per woman 4.76 births per woman 5.14 births per woman 5

Countries ranked near Afghanistan

  1. 6 Mali 5.51 births per woman compare
  2. 7 Angola 5.05 births per woman compare
  3. 8 Burundi 4.79 births per woman compare
  4. 10 Mozambique 4.69 births per woman compare
  5. 11 Mauritania 4.62 births per woman compare
  6. 12 Tanzania 4.54 births per woman compare

See the full ranking of 215 places →

More population data for Afghanistan

All data for Afghanistan →

Frequently asked questions

What is fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception in Afghanistan?
Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception in Afghanistan was 4.76 births per woman in 2024, according to United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception recorded in Afghanistan?
The highest recorded value was 7.77 births per woman in 1994.
What is the lowest fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception recorded in Afghanistan?
The lowest recorded value was 4.76 births per woman in 2024.
How does Afghanistan rank for fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception?
Afghanistan ranks 9th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
Is fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception rising or falling in Afghanistan?
Over the last ten years it is down 17.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
The figures come from United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

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.