Total Fertility Rate in South Africa
South Africa: Total Fertility Rate was 2.34 in 2022. βΌ Falling
Total Fertility Rate in South Africa, 1960β2022
Source: International Monetary Fund.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 2.34 for total fertility rate in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.4% on the previous year and down 4.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total fertility rate in South Africa peaked at 6.16 in 1960 and was at its lowest, 2.26, in 2016.
That places South Africa 83rd out of 197 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.97 | 5.72 | 6.16 | 10 |
| 1970s | 5.23 | 4.82 | 5.63 | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.48 | 3.98 | 4.78 | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.15 | 2.56 | 3.72 | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.47 | 2.32 | 2.68 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.4 | 2.26 | 2.48 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.37 | 2.34 | 2.4 | 3 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More gender data for South Africa
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 570,099 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 589,533 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 570,599 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 589,626 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 569,634 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, male, interpolated 588,323 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, female, interpolated 594,743 (2025)
- Age population, age 03, male, interpolated 603,304 (2025)
- Age population, age 04, female, interpolated 607,639 (2025)
- Age population, age 04, male, interpolated 607,041 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total fertility rate in South Africa?
- Total fertility rate in South Africa was 2.34 in 2022, according to International Monetary Fund.
- What is the highest total fertility rate recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 6.16 in 1960.
- What is the lowest total fertility rate recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.26 in 2016.
- How does South Africa rank for total fertility rate?
- South Africa ranks 83rd out of 197 countries with data for 2022.
- Is total fertility rate rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund, published as part of Total Fertility Rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 63 observations, free to reuse under IMF Terms and Conditions (attribution required).
About this data
Gender-disaggregated data on health outcomes.