Total Fertility Rate by Country in 1972

-5 year -1 year 1972 +1 year +5 year

In the year 1972, the world had a total fertility rate of 4.5446 (births per woman).

The country with the highest total fertility rate was 🇾🇪Yemen with a rate of 8.2729 births per woman. Closely followed by 🇯🇴Jordan with a fertility rate of 8.1175 births per woman, and 🇷🇼Rwanda with 8.0893 child born per woman.

The country with the lowest annual fertility rate was 🇻🇦Holy See with 1.0 births per woman. Followed by 🇫🇮Finland with a fertility rate of 1.5754 births per woman, and 🇯🇪Jersey with 1.6361 child born per woman.

The geographic region with the highest total fertility rate was Africa with a rate of 6.6929 births per woman. Closely followed by Asia with a fertility rate of 5.164 births per woman, and Latin America and the Caribbean with 4.9696 child born per woman.

When devided into sub-subregions we can see that Eastern Africa had the highest total fertility rate of 7.0828 births per woman. Closely followed by Western Africa with a fertility rate of 6.7807 births per woman, and Middle Africa with 6.5362 child born per woman.

If we devide the global population into income groups we can see that Low-income countries has the highest total fertility rate of 6.7115 children born per woman. While the lowest total fertility rate is recorded by High-income countries with a TFR of only 2.3477.

Similar Population Metrics for 1972

Countries with the Highest Total Fertility Rate in 1972

Rank	Country	Total Fertility Rate (births per woman)
1	🇾🇪Yemen	8.2729
2	🇯🇴Jordan	8.1175
3	🇷🇼Rwanda	8.0893
4	🇱🇾Libya	8.0733
5	🇲🇭Marshall Islands	7.9947
6	🇨🇮Côte d'Ivoire	7.942
7	🇰🇪Kenya	7.8938
8	🇩🇿Algeria	7.6344
9	🇴🇲Oman	7.5876
10	🇵🇸State of Palestine	7.5856
11	🇸🇾Syrian Arab Republic	7.5727
12	🇸🇦Saudi Arabia	7.5393
13	🇳🇪Niger	7.5233
14	🇦🇴Angola	7.4879
15	🇦🇫Afghanistan	7.4531
16	🇾🇹Mayotte	7.4514
17	🇲🇻Maldives	7.3739
18	🇲🇼Malawi	7.3262
19	🇸🇸South Sudan	7.311
20	🇿🇲Zambia	7.3004
21	🇼🇫Wallis and Futuna Islands	7.2901
22	🇲🇳Mongolia	7.2793
23	🇸🇳Senegal	7.258
24	🇲🇱Mali	7.2188
25	🇧🇮Burundi	7.2101
26	🇺🇬Uganda	7.1848
27	🇰🇲Comoros	7.142
28	🇸🇴Somalia	7.1179
29	🇼🇸Samoa	7.0696
30	🇹🇬Togo	7.0686
31	🇭🇳Honduras	7.0582
32	🇹🇿United Republic of Tanzania	7.0518
33	🇲🇬Madagascar	7.0418
34	🇮🇶Iraq	7.0238
35	🇸🇧Solomon Islands	6.9915
36	🇸🇩Sudan	6.9833
37	🇫🇲Micronesia (Fed. States of)	6.961
38	🇿🇼Zimbabwe	6.9423
39	🇬🇭Ghana	6.9165
40	🇪🇹Ethiopia	6.895
41	🇹🇯Tajikistan	6.8935
42	🇨🇻Cabo Verde	6.8868
43	🇩🇯Djibouti	6.8511
44	🇹🇩Chad	6.8504
45	🇧🇩Bangladesh	6.816
46	🇵🇰Pakistan	6.805
47	🇧🇯Benin	6.7988
48	🇲🇵Northern Mariana Islands	6.7758
49	🇸🇿Eswatini	6.7223
50	🇧🇫Burkina Faso	6.7191
51	🇲🇷Mauritania	6.706
52	🇲🇿Mozambique	6.701
53	🇳🇮Nicaragua	6.6526
54	🇧🇹Bhutan	6.6394
55	🇰🇼Kuwait	6.6375
56	🇱🇷Liberia	6.5989
57	🇳🇬Nigeria	6.5791
58	🇧🇼Botswana	6.5625
59	🇲🇦Morocco	6.5454
60	🇪🇷Eritrea	6.5382
61	🇳🇦Namibia	6.533
62	🇬🇹Guatemala	6.5111
63	🇸🇹Sao Tome and Principe	6.51
64	🇦🇪United Arab Emirates	6.5025
65	🇸🇱Sierra Leone	6.447
66	🇨🇬Congo	6.4444
67	🇨🇩Democratic Republic of the Congo	6.3687
68	🇬🇲Gambia	6.3663
69	🇨🇲Cameroon	6.2932
70	🇪🇭Western Sahara	6.2852
71	🇧🇿Belize	6.2843
72	🇱🇦Lao People's Democratic Republic	6.284
73	🇬🇳Guinea	6.2832
74	🇲🇽Mexico	6.2807
75	🇮🇷Iran (Islamic Republic of)	6.2568
76	🇺🇿Uzbekistan	6.2458
77	🇻🇺Vanuatu	6.2277
78	🇹🇲Turkmenistan	6.2003
79	🇵🇬Papua New Guinea	6.1967
80	🇹🇳Tunisia	6.1868
81	🇧🇭Bahrain	6.1394
82	🇻🇳Viet Nam	6.0998
83	🇵🇪Peru	6.0908
84	🇬🇼Guinea-Bissau	6.0781
85	🇶🇦Qatar	6.0734
86	🇸🇻El Salvador	6.0315
87	🇨🇫Central African Republic	5.9591
88	🇰🇭Cambodia	5.9432
89	🇵🇭Philippines	5.9371
90	🇪🇬Egypt	5.929
91	🇵🇼Palau	5.8956
92	🇧🇴Bolivia (Plurinational State of)	5.885
93	🇪🇨Ecuador	5.8732
94	🇹🇴Tonga	5.8616
95	🇭🇹Haiti	5.8494
96	🇩🇴Dominican Republic	5.8406
97	🇲🇫Saint Martin (French part)	5.8389
98	🇱🇨Saint Lucia	5.813
99	🇬🇶Equatorial Guinea	5.8047
100	🇳🇵Nepal	5.8007
101	🇻🇨Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	5.7737
102	🇨🇰Cook Islands	5.7238
103	🇳🇺Niue	5.7086
104	🇱🇸Lesotho	5.6936
105	🇹🇷Türkiye	5.5484
106	🇲🇲Myanmar	5.5272
107	🇦🇸American Samoa	5.5186
108	🇧🇳Brunei Darussalam	5.5001
109	🇹🇱Timor-Leste	5.4916
110	🇿🇦South Africa	5.4904
111	🇽🇰Kosovo (under UNSC res. 1244)	5.4879
112	🇮🇳India	5.4815
113	🇵🇾Paraguay	5.4585
114	🇰🇮Kiribati	5.374
115	🇮🇩Indonesia	5.3152
116	🇵🇫French Polynesia	5.2724
117	🇬🇦Gabon	5.2366
118	🇸🇷Suriname	5.1764
119	🇸🇨Seychelles	5.1552
120	🇰🇬Kyrgyzstan	5.1365
121	🇨🇳China	5.112
122	🇹🇭Thailand	5.0769
123	🇬🇾Guyana	5.0769
124	🇯🇲Jamaica	5.0599
125	🇳🇨New Caledonia	5.0474
126	🇻🇪Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)	5.0346
127	🇹🇨Turks and Caicos Islands	5.0269
128	🇦🇱Albania	4.9793
129	🇱🇧Lebanon	4.9122
130	🇵🇦Panama	4.9076
131	🇰🇾Cayman Islands	4.8873
132	🇨🇴Colombia	4.8571
133	🇦🇮Anguilla	4.8292
134	🇲🇾Malaysia	4.8216
135	🇹🇰Tokelau	4.8037
136	🇻🇮United States Virgin Islands	4.7798
137	🇧🇷Brazil	4.7351
138	🇩🇲Dominica	4.6709
139	🇦🇿Azerbaijan	4.5929
140	🇬🇫French Guiana	4.4201
141	🇳🇷Nauru	4.3548
142	🇬🇵Guadeloupe	4.3493
143	🇫🇯Fiji	4.3156
144	🇲🇶Martinique	4.1794
145	🇬🇩Grenada	4.1755
146	🇰🇳Saint Kitts and Nevis	4.1607
147	🇨🇷Costa Rica	4.1577
148	🇱🇰Sri Lanka	4.1558
149	🇬🇺Guam	4.0461
150	🇰🇷Republic of Korea	4.0197
151	🇷🇪Réunion	3.9217
152	🇰🇵Dem. People's Republic of Korea	3.8885
153	🇧🇸Bahamas	3.8863
154	🇮🇪Ireland	3.8489
155	🇹🇻Tuvalu	3.8065
156	🇮🇱Israel	3.7982
157	🇸🇭Saint Helena	3.6962
158	🇨🇺Cuba	3.6119
159	🇰🇿Kazakhstan	3.5532
160	🇹🇹Trinidad and Tobago	3.5514
161	🇻🇬British Virgin Islands	3.5425
162	🇨🇱Chile	3.5304
163	🇲🇸Montserrat	3.495
164	🇹🇼China, Taiwan Province of China	3.4361
165	🇲🇺Mauritius	3.4067
166	🇦🇬Antigua and Barbuda	3.2871
167	🇭🇰China, Hong Kong SAR	3.2538
168	🇫🇴Faroe Islands	3.2522
169	🇸🇽Sint Maarten (Dutch part)	3.2342
170	🇦🇲Armenia	3.1984
171	🇧🇧Barbados	3.1526
172	🇦🇷Argentina	3.1349
173	🇵🇲Saint Pierre and Miquelon	3.1152
174	🇮🇸Iceland	3.0847
175	🇸🇬Singapore	3.0314
176	🇬🇱Greenland	3.0117
177	🇵🇷Puerto Rico	3.0065
178	🇳🇿New Zealand	2.9978
179	🇨🇼Curaçao	2.9917
180	🇨🇾Cyprus	2.9882
181	🇧🇶Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba	2.9619
182	🇫🇰Falkland Islands (Malvinas)	2.9162
183	🇦🇩Andorra	2.9051
184	🇪🇸Spain	2.8692
185	🇲🇰North Macedonia	2.8648
186	🇵🇹Portugal	2.857
187	🇬🇮Gibraltar	2.788
188	🇺🇾Uruguay	2.7821
189	🇦🇼Aruba	2.7546
190	🇦🇺Australia	2.7419
191	🇬🇪Georgia	2.674
192	🇧🇦Bosnia and Herzegovina	2.6725
193	🇲🇪Montenegro	2.6107
194	🇲🇩Republic of Moldova	2.5636
195	🇸🇰Slovakia	2.4834
196	🇷🇴Romania	2.4788
197	🇮🇲Isle of Man	2.4542
198	🇲🇨Monaco	2.4395
199	🇫🇷France	2.4268
200	🇳🇴Norway	2.3897
201	🇬🇷Greece	2.3882
202	🇮🇹Italy	2.3509
203	🇱🇹Lithuania	2.3458
204	🇸🇲San Marino	2.2862
205	🇧🇾Belarus	2.2802
206	🇵🇱Poland	2.2384
207	🇧🇲Bermuda	2.2255
208	🇬🇧United Kingdom	2.1824
209	🇸🇮Slovenia	2.1657
210	🇪🇪Estonia	2.1542
211	🇳🇱Netherlands	2.1523
212	🇺🇦Ukraine	2.1275
213	🇯🇵Japan	2.1138
214	🇨🇿Czechia	2.0916
215	🇧🇪Belgium	2.091
216	🇦🇹Austria	2.0772
217	🇷🇺Russian Federation	2.0682
218	🇺🇸United States of America	2.0565
219	🇧🇬Bulgaria	2.037
220	🇲🇹Malta	2.0321
221	🇩🇰Denmark	2.0261
222	🇱🇻Latvia	2.009
223	🇭🇷Croatia	2.0069
224	🇱🇮Liechtenstein	1.9832
225	🇧🇱Saint Barthélemy	1.9593
226	🇷🇸Serbia	1.9517
227	🇬🇬Guernsey	1.9422
228	🇲🇴China, Macao SAR	1.9404
229	🇨🇦Canada	1.9375
230	🇭🇺Hungary	1.9311
231	🇨🇭Switzerland	1.913
232	🇸🇪Sweden	1.9098
233	🇱🇺Luxembourg	1.7474
234	🇩🇪Germany	1.7261
235	🇯🇪Jersey	1.6361
236	🇫🇮Finland	1.5754
237	🇻🇦Holy See	1.0

Regions with the Highest Total Fertility Rate in 1972

Rank	Region	Total Fertility Rate (births per woman)
1	Africa	6.6929
2	Asia	5.164
3	Latin America and the Caribbean	4.9696
4	Americas	3.655
5	Oceania	3.4229
6	Europe	2.2126
7	Northern America	2.0452

Sub-regions with the Highest Total Fertility Rate in 1972

Rank	Sub-region	Total Fertility Rate (births per woman)
1	Eastern Africa	7.0828
2	Western Africa	6.7807
3	Middle Africa	6.5362
4	Northern Africa	6.5159
5	Central America	6.2357
6	Polynesia	6.0009
7	Melanesia	5.9197
8	Western Asia	5.8269
9	Southern Asia	5.7496
10	Southern Africa	5.5792
11	Micronesia	5.4984
12	South-Eastern Asia	5.4369
13	Central Asia	5.0477
14	South America	4.6174
15	Eastern Asia	4.6172
16	Caribbean	4.4194
17	Australia/New Zealand	2.7872
18	Southern Europe	2.573
19	Northern Europe	2.172
20	Eastern Europe	2.1442
21	Western Europe	2.0282

Income Groups with the Highest Total Fertility Rate in 1972

Rank	Income Group	Total Fertility Rate (births per woman)
1	Low-income countries	6.7115
2	Low-and-Lower-middle-income countries	5.891
3	Lower-middle-income countries	5.7595
4	Low-and-middle-income countries	5.2615
5	Middle-income countries	5.1634
6	No income group available	5.0403
7	Upper-middle-income countries	4.7249
8	High-and-upper-middle-income countries	3.8136
9	High-income countries	2.3477

How is Total Fertility Rate calculated?

A population's fertility rate is most commonly calculated as Total Total Fertility Rate or TFR for short. The Total Total Fertility Rate (TFR) is a standard demographic indicator that is used internationally to estimate the average number of children born per woman in a population. It is calculated by adding up all the age-specific fertility rates, multiplying this sum by X (the width of the age-group interval), and then dividing by 1,000.

Population Total Fertility Rate Formula

Total Total Fertility Rate = (Sum of ASFR x 5 ) / 1000

Data Information

Data found on this page is based on the medium fertility variant of the United Nations Revision of World Population Prospects 2024.

Data Published: 2024-07-11

Data Sources

The United Nations - Department of Economic and Social Affairs (Population Division)

UN Revision of World Population Prospects 2024

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