What is the crude birth rate?

The crude birth rate (CBR) is the number of live births per 1,000 people in a population over one year. It is called crude because it does not adjust for the age or sex makeup of the population, unlike the total fertility rate.

How does it differ from the fertility rate?

The total fertility rate estimates how many children an average woman would have over her lifetime, while the crude birth rate just counts births against the whole population. A country with many young adults can have a high crude rate even at moderate fertility.

Which countries have the highest birth rates?

Sub-Saharan African nations lead, with Niger, Chad, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo all above 40 births per 1,000. These reflect high fertility and young populations.

Which have the lowest?

East Asian and Southern European countries are lowest, with South Korea, Japan, Italy, and Spain typically below 7 births per 1,000. China has also fallen sharply in recent years.

Are these figures exact?

No. They are rounded recent estimates compiled from UN-style demographic sources and vary slightly between agencies and years. Use them for comparison and orientation, not as official national statistics.

Birth Rate by Country Reference

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How many babies are born, country by country

This reference shows the crude birth rate — the number of live births per 1,000 people each year — for countries around the world. You can search for a country and sort the table to see the full range, from high-fertility nations above 40 per 1,000 down to the lowest, below 5 per 1,000.

How it works

The crude birth rate is calculated as (annual live births / mid-year population) x 1000. It is described as “crude” because it ignores the age and sex structure of the population: a country with a large share of young adults will register more births per 1,000 people than an older country at the same underlying fertility. That is why demographers also use the total fertility rate, which estimates lifetime births per woman. Birth rates tend to fall as countries develop, driven by urbanisation, women’s education, lower child mortality, and access to contraception — a pattern known as the demographic transition.

Tips and notes

Sort by lowest first to see the countries facing population decline, where deaths now outnumber births.
High crude rates concentrate in the Sahel and East Africa; the lowest sit in East Asia and Southern Europe.
These are rounded recent estimates for comparison; consult national statistics offices or the UN Population Division for authoritative, year-specific figures.