Skip to content

Fertility & birth rates in Benin and Gambia

Updated on by Georank team

Benin has an annual birth rate of 33.9 births per 1,000 people, compared to 30.4 for the Gambia. The average number of children a woman is expected to have during her lifetime — the fertility rate, is 4.56 in Benin and 4.01 in the Gambia — 12.1% difference.

1960 vs 2023, the fertility rate has decreased by -27.5% in Benin and by -35.9% in the Gambia — in 1960, it was 6.28 and 6.25, respectively.

Birth rates facts compared:

  • Benin is ranked 14/196 by birth rate compared to 30/196 for the Gambia.
  • The mean age for first-time mothers is 20.5 years in Benin, compared to 20.7 years in the Gambia.
  • The mean age at childbearing (for all the births, not just the first) is 29 in Benin — it's 29.8 in the Gambia.
  • Annual births per 1,000 women ages 15-19 (adolescent birth rate or teenage mother rate) is 77.8 in Benin vs 58.1 in the Gambia.
  • In Benin, 23.9% of the population is composed of women of reproductive age (15-49), compared to 24.5% in the Gambia.
  • Excluding migration, the natural population change due to births and deaths from 2022 to 2023 was +2.51% in Benin and +2.41% in the Gambia.

Birth rate data compared

Benin Gambia
Fertility rate 4.56 4.01
Birth rate 33.9 30.4
Birth rate rank 14/196 30/196
Age at first childbirth 20.5 years 20.7 years
Average age at childbearing 29 years 29.8 years
Annual births per 1,000 women ages 15-19 75.2 54.1
Annual births per 1,000 women ages 20-29 216.4 173
Annual births per 1,000 women ages 30+ 69.3 68.1
Female of reproductive age (15-49), share of population 23.9% 24.5%
Any modern method of contraceptive prevalence among married women ages 15-49 16.9% 17.1%
Share of births attended by skilled health staff 78.1% 83.8%
Maternal mortality per live birth 0.52% 0.35%
Neonatal mortality rate (before reaching 28 days of age) 2.8% 2.37%
Infant mortality rate (before reaching 1 year of age) 4.64% 3.38%
Mortality rate before reaching 5 years of age, per 1,000 live births 7.79% 4.41%
Population change due to births and deaths +353,933 +65,118
Natural population change rank 49/196 88/196
Natural population change rate +2.51% +2.41%
Population growth +2.49% +2.3%
Population growth rank 28/197 39/197
Life expectancy 61.1 years 66.3 years

Fertility rate in Benin vs Gambia chart

According to the latest available data on birth rates, the fertility rate in Benin was 4.56 children per woman in 2023, compared to 4.01 in the Gambia in 2023. The replacement level is considered to be 2.1 children per woman.

Check Benin vs the Gambia population clock for a dynamic visualization of the changing population.

The chart below showcases historical changes in the birth rates.

Benin
Factual

UN forecast
Gambia
Factual

UN forecast

Births per woman

Year Fertility rate
Benin Gambia
1960 6.28 6.25
1961 6.4 6.23
1962 6.46 6.21
1963 6.51 6.2
1964 6.57 6.2
1965 6.61 6.19
1966 6.63 6.18
1967 6.64 6.21
1968 6.67 6.22
1969 6.71 6.25
1970 6.74 6.26
1971 6.77 6.33
1972 6.8 6.37
1973 6.81 6.41
1974 6.82 6.42
1975 6.83 6.43
1976 6.83 6.43
1977 6.83 6.43
1978 6.82 6.42
1979 6.91 6.41
1980 6.99 6.41
1981 7.06 6.4
1982 7.06 6.4
1983 7.05 6.39
1984 7.03 6.39
1985 7 6.36
1986 6.96 6.34
1987 6.92 6.3
1988 6.87 6.26
1989 6.82 6.25
1990 6.74 6.25
1991 6.67 6.19
1992 6.59 6.11
1993 6.51 6.03
1994 6.42 6.04
1995 6.33 5.99
1996 6.28 5.93
1997 6.23 5.85
1998 6.14 5.82
1999 6.03 5.77
2000 5.94 5.72
2001 5.85 5.67
2002 5.79 5.66
2003 5.76 5.66
2004 5.72 5.68
2005 5.69 5.71
2006 5.67 5.74
2007 5.63 5.69
2008 5.55 5.63
2009 5.49 5.57
2010 5.45 5.56
2011 5.44 5.54
2012 5.43 5.52
2013 5.41 5.39
2014 5.37 5.2
2015 5.32 5
2016 5.25 4.81
2017 5.16 4.61
2018 5.03 4.42
2019 4.9 4.33
2020 4.8 4.25
2021 4.71 4.17
2022 4.63 4.08
2023 4.56 4.01
2024 4.48 3.91
2025 4.42 3.8
2026 4.34 3.7
2027 4.27 3.6
2028 4.19 3.51
2029 4.12 3.41
2030 4.05 3.33
2031 3.98 3.24
2032 3.9 3.17
2033 3.85 3.1
2034 3.79 3.03
2035 3.74 2.97
2036 3.68 2.91
2037 3.62 2.86
2038 3.57 2.81
2039 3.52 2.76
2040 3.48 2.71
2041 3.43 2.67
2042 3.39 2.63
2043 3.35 2.59
2044 3.3 2.56
2045 3.26 2.52
2046 3.23 2.49
2047 3.18 2.46
2048 3.14 2.43
2049 3.1 2.4
2050 3.06 2.38

Children 0-14 years as share of population

Benin
Factual

UN forecast
Gambia
Factual

UN forecast
Year Share of people 0-14 years old
Benin Gambia
1960 39.1% 41%
1961 39.5% 40.8%
1962 39.9% 40.7%
1963 40.3% 40.8%
1964 40.8% 41%
1965 41.2% 41.3%
1966 41.6% 41.5%
1967 42.1% 41.6%
1968 42.5% 41.8%
1969 42.8% 41.9%
1970 43.2% 42%
1971 43.5% 42.1%
1972 43.8% 42.2%
1973 44.1% 42.3%
1974 44.3% 42.4%
1975 44.5% 42.6%
1976 44.7% 42.8%
1977 44.8% 43%
1978 45% 43.3%
1979 45.1% 43.5%
1980 45.2% 43.7%
1981 45.3% 44%
1982 45.5% 44.3%
1983 45.6% 44.6%
1984 45.7% 44.9%
1985 45.8% 45%
1986 45.9% 45.2%
1987 46% 45.4%
1988 46.1% 45.5%
1989 46.1% 45.6%
1990 46.1% 45.7%
1991 46.2% 45.8%
1992 46.2% 45.9%
1993 45.7% 46%
1994 45.5% 46.3%
1995 45.9% 46.5%
1996 46% 46.7%
1997 45.9% 46.9%
1998 45.8% 46.9%
1999 45.6% 46.9%
2000 45.4% 46.8%
2001 45.3% 46.7%
2002 45.1% 46.6%
2003 44.9% 46.4%
2004 44.8% 46.1%
2005 44.6% 45.9%
2006 44.4% 45.6%
2007 44.4% 45.3%
2008 44.3% 45.1%
2009 44.1% 44.8%
2010 43.9% 44.5%
2011 43.8% 44.3%
2012 43.7% 44.1%
2013 43.6% 43.9%
2014 43.5% 43.7%
2015 43.4% 43.6%
2016 43.3% 43.3%
2017 43.2% 43.1%
2018 43.1% 42.8%
2019 42.9% 42.4%
2020 42.7% 42%
2021 42.4% 41.6%
2022 42.1% 41.2%
2023 41.8% 40.7%
2024 41.6% 40.2%
2025 41.3% 39.7%
2026 40.9% 39.2%
2027 40.6% 38.5%
2028 40.2% 37.9%
2029 39.8% 37.3%
2030 39.4% 36.7%
2031 39% 36.2%
2032 38.6% 35.7%
2033 38.2% 35.2%
2034 37.8% 34.8%
2035 37.5% 34.3%
2036 37.1% 33.9%
2037 36.8% 33.4%
2038 36.5% 33%
2039 36.2% 32.5%
2040 35.9% 32.1%
2041 35.6% 31.7%
2042 35.3% 31.3%
2043 35% 30.9%
2044 34.8% 30.5%
2045 34.5% 30.2%
2046 34.2% 29.8%
2047 33.9% 29.5%
2048 33.7% 29.1%
2049 33.4% 28.8%
2050 33.1% 28.4%

Children aged 0-14 make up 41.6% of the population in Benin and 40.2% in the Gambia in 2024, compared to 46.1% and 45.7% respectively in 1990.

Demographics of Benin and the Gambia compared.

Natural population change in Benin vs Gambia by year

For the past 10 years, the annual natural population change (excluding migration) has been +2.72% in Benin and +2.59% in the Gambia. The chart below illustrates the comparison of the absolute yearly changes resulting from births and deaths.

Benin
Gambia

Natural population change

Year Population change due to births and deaths
Benin Gambia
1960 44,564 8,420
1961 48,838 8,778
1962 51,664 9,150
1963 54,514 9,493
1964 57,352 9,825
1965 60,154 10,162
1966 62,169 10,422
1967 64,709 10,823
1968 67,327 11,215
1969 70,155 11,670
1970 73,156 12,128
1971 76,034 12,842
1972 79,415 13,432
1973 82,422 14,046
1974 85,623 14,628
1975 89,350 15,256
1976 93,141 16,032
1977 97,200 16,773
1978 100,762 17,424
1979 106,782 18,543
1980 112,969 19,566
1981 118,634 20,156
1982 122,748 21,894
1983 126,349 23,175
1984 131,590 24,586
1985 136,621 25,795
1986 142,039 27,195
1987 147,783 28,452
1988 153,580 29,938
1989 157,235 31,504
1990 163,055 33,163
1991 168,174 34,584
1992 173,794 35,951
1993 179,858 37,302
1994 196,637 38,880
1995 194,481 39,681
1996 197,643 40,253
1997 203,182 40,742
1998 208,342 41,842
1999 213,074 42,533
2000 218,013 43,249
2001 222,877 44,154
2002 229,472 45,156
2003 237,962 46,473
2004 245,630 48,276
2005 253,795 50,010
2006 265,040 52,335
2007 271,305 53,653
2008 274,242 55,032
2009 280,204 56,575
2010 287,703 58,554
2011 296,348 60,571
2012 306,180 62,745
2013 315,804 63,510
2014 323,753 63,185
2015 330,573 62,832
2016 336,559 62,358
2017 339,763 61,665
2018 340,270 60,854
2019 339,817 61,701
2020 341,929 62,209
2021 341,103 62,239
2022 349,518 63,634
2023 353,933 65,118

Fertility rates around the globe

Fertility rate

Maternal mortality chart: Benin vs Gambia

The maternal mortality rate, which is the probability of dying during childbirth or within 42 days of pregnancy termination, is 518 deaths per 100,000 live births in Benin, compared to 354 deaths in the Gambia.

Benin
Gambia
Year Maternal mortality per 100K births
Benin Gambia
1985 910 1,454
1986 858 1,401
1987 817 1,360
1988 765 1,302
1989 732 1,258
1990 692 1,207
1991 666 1,167
1992 625 1,115
1993 591 1,072
1994 605 1,039
1995 586 999
1996 576 956
1997 556 928
1998 547 867
1999 536 830
2000 529 810
2001 532 794
2002 534 772
2003 532 749
2004 531 719
2005 514 707
2006 509 682
2007 501 675
2008 563 653
2009 598 634
2010 607 632
2011 613 634
2012 618 628
2013 607 606
2014 605 561
2015 606 527
2016 604 490
2017 592 469
2018 585 450
2019 572 422
2020 578 400
2021 584 420
2022 547 365
2023 518 354

Under-five mortality rates

The chance that a newborn baby will die before reaching age five is 7.79% in Benin and 4.41% in the Gambia. Below is the historical data on under-five mortality rates.

Benin
Gambia

Probability that a newborn baby will die before reaching age five

Year Mortality rate before reaching 5 years of age, per 1,000 live births
Benin Gambia
1960 31.2% 36.2%
1961 30.7% 35.5%
1962 30.2% 34.8%
1963 29.6% 34.1%
1964 29.1% 33.5%
1965 28.5% 32.8%
1966 28% 32.1%
1967 27.5% 31.5%
1968 27% 30.9%
1969 26.6% 30.2%
1970 26.1% 29.5%
1971 25.7% 28.9%
1972 25.2% 28.2%
1973 24.7% 27.5%
1974 24.2% 26.9%
1975 23.7% 26.2%
1976 23.1% 25.5%
1977 22.6% 24.9%
1978 22.1% 24.2%
1979 21.6% 23.6%
1980 21.2% 23%
1981 20.8% 22.3%
1982 20.4% 21.7%
1983 20% 21%
1984 19.6% 20.4%
1985 19.2% 19.7%
1986 18.8% 19.1%
1987 18.4% 18.4%
1988 18% 17.8%
1989 17.6% 17.2%
1990 17.2% 16.6%
1991 16.8% 16%
1992 16.4% 15.5%
1993 16% 14.9%
1994 15.6% 14.4%
1995 15.2% 13.9%
1996 14.9% 13.3%
1997 14.6% 12.8%
1998 14.3% 12.3%
1999 13.9% 11.8%
2000 13.6% 11.3%
2001 13.3% 10.9%
2002 13% 10.4%
2003 12.7% 9.95%
2004 12.4% 9.52%
2005 12.1% 9.11%
2006 11.8% 8.71%
2007 11.5% 8.33%
2008 11.3% 7.98%
2009 11.1% 7.64%
2010 10.8% 7.31%
2011 10.6% 7.01%
2012 10.4% 6.73%
2013 10.2% 6.45%
2014 9.93% 6.18%
2015 9.71% 5.93%
2016 9.5% 5.7%
2017 9.27% 5.47%
2018 9.05% 5.27%
2019 8.8% 5.07%
2020 8.55% 4.89%
2021 8.31% 4.72%
2022 8.04% 4.56%
2023 7.79% 4.41%

Compare countries by 7 more topics

Birth rate comparisons

Birth rate vs Benin vs Gambia
Afghanistan Compare Compare
Albania Compare Compare
Algeria Compare Compare
Andorra Compare Compare
Angola Compare Compare
Antigua Compare Compare
Argentina Compare Compare
Armenia Compare Compare
Australia Compare Compare
Austria Compare Compare
Azerbaijan Compare Compare
Bahamas Compare Compare
Bahrain Compare Compare
Bangladesh Compare Compare
Barbados Compare Compare
Belarus Compare Compare
Belgium Compare Compare
Belize Compare Compare
Bhutan Compare Compare
Bolivia Compare Compare
Bosnia Compare Compare
Botswana Compare Compare
Brazil Compare Compare
Brunei Compare Compare
Bulgaria Compare Compare
Burkina Faso Compare Compare
Burundi Compare Compare
Cambodia Compare Compare
Cameroon Compare Compare
Canada Compare Compare
Cape Verde Compare Compare
Cayman Islands Compare Compare
CAR Compare Compare
Chad Compare Compare
Chile Compare Compare
China Compare Compare
Colombia Compare Compare
Comoros Compare Compare
Congo Compare Compare
Costa Rica Compare Compare
Croatia Compare Compare
Cuba Compare Compare
Curacao Compare Compare
Cyprus Compare Compare
Czech Republic Compare Compare
DR Congo Compare Compare
Denmark Compare Compare
Djibouti Compare Compare
Dominica Compare Compare
Dominican Republic Compare Compare
East Timor Compare Compare
Ecuador Compare Compare
Egypt Compare Compare
El Salvador Compare Compare
Equatorial Guinea Compare Compare
Eritrea Compare Compare
Estonia Compare Compare
Eswatini Compare Compare
Ethiopia Compare Compare
Fiji Compare Compare
Finland Compare Compare
France Compare Compare
Gabon Compare Compare
Georgia Compare Compare
Germany Compare Compare
Ghana Compare Compare
Greece Compare Compare
Grenada Compare Compare
Guatemala Compare Compare
Guinea Compare Compare
Guinea-Bissau Compare Compare
Guyana Compare Compare
Haiti Compare Compare
Honduras Compare Compare
Hungary Compare Compare
Iceland Compare Compare
India Compare Compare
Indonesia Compare Compare
Iran Compare Compare
Iraq Compare Compare
Ireland Compare Compare
Israel Compare Compare
Italy Compare Compare
Ivory Coast Compare Compare
Jamaica Compare Compare
Japan Compare Compare
Jordan Compare Compare
Kazakhstan Compare Compare
Kenya Compare Compare
Kiribati Compare Compare
Kuwait Compare Compare
Kyrgyzstan Compare Compare
Laos Compare Compare
Latvia Compare Compare
Lebanon Compare Compare
Lesotho Compare Compare
Liberia Compare Compare
Libya Compare Compare
Liechtenstein Compare Compare
Lithuania Compare Compare
Luxembourg Compare Compare
Madagascar Compare Compare
Malawi Compare Compare
Malaysia Compare Compare
Maldives Compare Compare
Mali Compare Compare
Malta Compare Compare
Marshall Islands Compare Compare
Mauritania Compare Compare
Mauritius Compare Compare
Mexico Compare Compare
Moldova Compare Compare
Monaco Compare Compare
Mongolia Compare Compare
Montenegro Compare Compare
Morocco Compare Compare
Mozambique Compare Compare
Myanmar Compare Compare
Namibia Compare Compare
Nauru Compare Compare
Nepal Compare Compare
Netherlands Compare Compare
New Zealand Compare Compare
Nicaragua Compare Compare
Niger Compare Compare
Nigeria Compare Compare
North Korea Compare Compare
North Macedonia Compare Compare
Norway Compare Compare
Oman Compare Compare
Pakistan Compare Compare
Palau Compare Compare
Palestine Compare Compare
Panama Compare Compare
Papua New Guinea Compare Compare
Paraguay Compare Compare
Peru Compare Compare
Philippines Compare Compare
Poland Compare Compare
Portugal Compare Compare
Qatar Compare Compare
Romania Compare Compare
Russia Compare Compare
Rwanda Compare Compare
Saint Kitts Compare Compare
Saint Lucia Compare Compare
Saint Vincent Compare Compare
Samoa Compare Compare
San Marino Compare Compare
Sao Tome Compare Compare
Saudi Arabia Compare Compare
Senegal Compare Compare
Serbia Compare Compare
Seychelles Compare Compare
Sierra Leone Compare Compare
Singapore Compare Compare
Slovakia Compare Compare
Slovenia Compare Compare
Solomon Islands Compare Compare
Somalia Compare Compare
South Africa Compare Compare
South Korea Compare Compare
South Sudan Compare Compare
Spain Compare Compare
Sri Lanka Compare Compare
Sudan Compare Compare
Suriname Compare Compare
Sweden Compare Compare
Switzerland Compare Compare
Syria Compare Compare
Taiwan Compare Compare
Tajikistan Compare Compare
Tanzania Compare Compare
Thailand Compare Compare
Togo Compare Compare
Tonga Compare Compare
Trinidad Compare Compare
Tunisia Compare Compare
Turkey Compare Compare
Turkmenistan Compare Compare
Tuvalu Compare Compare
Uganda Compare Compare
Ukraine Compare Compare
UAE Compare Compare
United Kingdom Compare Compare
United States Compare Compare
Uruguay Compare Compare
Uzbekistan Compare Compare
Vanuatu Compare Compare
Venezuela Compare Compare
Vietnam Compare Compare
Yemen Compare Compare
Zambia Compare Compare
Zimbabwe Compare Compare