Long run birth rate in South Africa
South Africa: Long run birth rate was 18.77 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
18.77
Change on year
down 1.6%
World rank
86th
of 236 countries
All-time high
41.12
in 1952
All-time low
18.77
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Long run birth rate in South Africa, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 18.77 for long run birth rate in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.6% on the previous year and down 14.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, long run birth rate in South Africa peaked at 41.12 in 1952 and was at its lowest, 18.77, in 2023.
South Africa ranks 86th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Long run birth rate in South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 40.96 | — |
| 1951 | 41.09 | +0.3% |
| 1952 | 41.12 | +0.1% |
| 1953 | 41.08 | -0.1% |
| 1954 | 40.94 | -0.3% |
| 1955 | 40.83 | -0.3% |
| 1956 | 40.64 | -0.5% |
| 1957 | 40.48 | -0.4% |
| 1958 | 40.36 | -0.3% |
| 1959 | 40.01 | -0.9% |
| 1960 | 39.82 | -0.5% |
| 1961 | 39.74 | -0.2% |
| 1962 | 39.67 | -0.2% |
| 1963 | 39.69 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 39.6 | -0.2% |
| 1965 | 39.49 | -0.3% |
| 1966 | 39.96 | +1.2% |
| 1967 | 39.93 | -0.1% |
| 1968 | 39.81 | -0.3% |
| 1969 | 39.71 | -0.3% |
| 1970 | 39.38 | -0.8% |
| 1971 | 39.25 | -0.3% |
| 1972 | 38.85 | -1.0% |
| 1973 | 38.39 | -1.2% |
| 1974 | 37.67 | -1.9% |
| 1975 | 37.01 | -1.7% |
| 1976 | 36.33 | -1.8% |
| 1977 | 35.57 | -2.1% |
| 1978 | 35.08 | -1.4% |
| 1979 | 34.94 | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 34.66 | -0.8% |
| 1981 | 34.59 | -0.2% |
| 1982 | 34.8 | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 34.63 | -0.5% |
| 1984 | 34.53 | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 34.25 | -0.8% |
| 1986 | 33.6 | -1.9% |
| 1987 | 33.2 | -1.2% |
| 1988 | 31.98 | -3.7% |
| 1989 | 30.58 | -4.4% |
| 1990 | 28.73 | -6.0% |
| 1991 | 28.07 | -2.3% |
| 1992 | 27.02 | -3.8% |
| 1993 | 26.61 | -1.5% |
| 1994 | 24.58 | -7.6% |
| 1995 | 25.61 | +4.2% |
| 1996 | 24.86 | -2.9% |
| 1997 | 23.91 | -3.8% |
| 1998 | 23.15 | -3.2% |
| 1999 | 22.7 | -1.9% |
| 2000 | 21.57 | -5.0% |
| 2001 | 21.27 | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 20.93 | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 21.39 | +2.2% |
| 2004 | 22.14 | +3.5% |
| 2005 | 22.72 | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 23.14 | +1.9% |
| 2007 | 23.09 | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 24.33 | +5.4% |
| 2009 | 22.78 | -6.4% |
| 2010 | 22.18 | -2.6% |
| 2011 | 22.07 | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 22.12 | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 21.89 | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 21.78 | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 21.01 | -3.6% |
| 2016 | 20.27 | -3.5% |
| 2017 | 20.04 | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 19.85 | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 19.69 | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 19.52 | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 19.35 | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 19.08 | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 18.77 | -1.6% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 18.77 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 13.97, 1.3× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 18.77 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 31.17, 60% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 40.75 | 40.01 | 41.12 | 10 |
| 1960s | 39.74 | 39.49 | 39.96 | 10 |
| 1970s | 37.25 | 34.94 | 39.38 | 10 |
| 1980s | 33.68 | 30.58 | 34.8 | 10 |
| 1990s | 25.52 | 22.7 | 28.73 | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.33 | 20.93 | 24.33 | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.09 | 19.69 | 22.18 | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.18 | 18.77 | 19.52 | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More population data for South Africa
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.2264 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -0.7997 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.2264 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.1847 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 73,530 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.8824 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.0148 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate 0.23 (2100)
- Population density 77.75 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 5.55 million (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is long run birth rate in South Africa?
- Long run birth rate in South Africa was 18.77 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest long run birth rate recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 41.12 in 1952.
- What is the lowest long run birth rate recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.77 in 2023.
- How does South Africa rank for long run birth rate?
- South Africa ranks 86th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is long run birth rate rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.2%. 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 Long run 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).