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Fertility & birth rates in Gambia and Rwanda

Updated on by Georank team

The Gambia has an annual birth rate of 30.4 births per 1,000 people, compared to 28.3 for Rwanda. The average number of children a woman is expected to have during her lifetime — the fertility rate, is 4.01 in the Gambia and 3.7 in Rwanda — 7.69% difference.

1960 vs 2023, the fertility rate has decreased by -35.9% in the Gambia and by -55.4% in Rwanda — in 1960, it was 6.25 and 8.28, respectively.

Birth rates facts compared:

  • The Gambia is ranked 30/196 by birth rate compared to 38/196 for Rwanda.
  • The mean age for first-time mothers is 20.7 years in the Gambia, compared to 23 years in Rwanda.
  • The mean age at childbearing (for all the births, not just the first) is 29.8 in the Gambia — it's 30.6 in Rwanda.
  • Annual births per 1,000 women ages 15-19 (adolescent birth rate or teenage mother rate) is 58.1 in the Gambia vs 30.8 in Rwanda.
  • In the Gambia, 24.5% of the population is composed of women of reproductive age (15-49), compared to 26.2% in Rwanda.
  • Excluding migration, the natural population change due to births and deaths from 2022 to 2023 was +2.41% in the Gambia and +2.24% in Rwanda.

Birth rate data compared

Gambia Rwanda
Fertility rate 4.01 3.7
Birth rate 30.4 28.3
Birth rate rank 30/196 38/196
Age at first childbirth 20.7 years 23 years
Average age at childbearing 29.8 years 30.6 years
Annual births per 1,000 women ages 15-19 54.1 30.2
Annual births per 1,000 women ages 20-29 173 155.6
Annual births per 1,000 women ages 30+ 68.1 66.4
Female of reproductive age (15-49), share of population 24.5% 26.2%
Any modern method of contraceptive prevalence among married women ages 15-49 17.1% 58.4%
Share of births attended by skilled health staff 83.8% 94.2%
Maternal mortality per live birth 0.35% 0.23%
Neonatal mortality rate (before reaching 28 days of age) 2.37% 1.81%
Infant mortality rate (before reaching 1 year of age) 3.38% 3.05%
Mortality rate before reaching 5 years of age, per 1,000 live births 4.41% 4%
Population change due to births and deaths +65,118 +312,762
Natural population change rank 88/196 51/196
Natural population change rate +2.41% +2.24%
Population growth +2.3% +2.16%
Population growth rank 39/197 47/197
Life expectancy 66.3 years 68.2 years

Fertility rate in Gambia vs Rwanda chart

According to the latest available data on birth rates, the fertility rate in the Gambia was 4.01 children per woman in 2023, compared to 3.7 in Rwanda in 2023. The replacement level is considered to be 2.1 children per woman.

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

The chart below showcases historical changes in the birth rates.

Gambia
Factual

UN forecast
Rwanda
Factual

UN forecast

Births per woman

Year Fertility rate
Gambia Rwanda
1960 6.25 8.28
1961 6.23 8.28
1962 6.21 8.27
1963 6.2 8.27
1964 6.2 8.27
1965 6.19 8.25
1966 6.18 8.23
1967 6.21 8.21
1968 6.22 8.19
1969 6.25 8.18
1970 6.26 8.15
1971 6.33 8.09
1972 6.37 8.09
1973 6.41 8.09
1974 6.42 8.1
1975 6.43 8.1
1976 6.43 8.12
1977 6.43 8.14
1978 6.42 8.16
1979 6.41 8.13
1980 6.41 8.12
1981 6.4 8.1
1982 6.4 8.06
1983 6.39 8
1984 6.39 7.91
1985 6.36 7.79
1986 6.34 7.61
1987 6.3 7.43
1988 6.26 7.23
1989 6.25 7.03
1990 6.25 6.8
1991 6.19 6.62
1992 6.11 6.54
1993 6.03 6.48
1994 6.04 6.42
1995 5.99 6.35
1996 5.93 6.29
1997 5.85 6.24
1998 5.82 6.17
1999 5.77 6.06
2000 5.72 5.97
2001 5.67 5.89
2002 5.66 5.82
2003 5.66 5.74
2004 5.68 5.64
2005 5.71 5.5
2006 5.74 5.34
2007 5.69 5.14
2008 5.63 4.92
2009 5.57 4.71
2010 5.56 4.52
2011 5.54 4.33
2012 5.52 4.2
2013 5.39 4.14
2014 5.2 4.12
2015 5 4.11
2016 4.81 4.11
2017 4.61 4.08
2018 4.42 4.05
2019 4.33 3.99
2020 4.25 3.91
2021 4.17 3.84
2022 4.08 3.78
2023 4.01 3.7
2024 3.91 3.64
2025 3.8 3.59
2026 3.7 3.54
2027 3.6 3.49
2028 3.51 3.43
2029 3.41 3.38
2030 3.33 3.33
2031 3.24 3.28
2032 3.17 3.24
2033 3.1 3.19
2034 3.03 3.15
2035 2.97 3.11
2036 2.91 3.07
2037 2.86 3.03
2038 2.81 2.99
2039 2.76 2.95
2040 2.71 2.92
2041 2.67 2.89
2042 2.63 2.85
2043 2.59 2.81
2044 2.56 2.78
2045 2.52 2.75
2046 2.49 2.72
2047 2.46 2.69
2048 2.43 2.67
2049 2.4 2.64
2050 2.38 2.61

Children 0-14 years as share of population

Gambia
Factual

UN forecast
Rwanda
Factual

UN forecast
Year Share of people 0-14 years old
Gambia Rwanda
1960 41% 49.2%
1961 40.8% 49.7%
1962 40.7% 50.2%
1963 40.8% 50.6%
1964 41% 50.8%
1965 41.3% 50.6%
1966 41.5% 50.2%
1967 41.6% 49.7%
1968 41.8% 49.2%
1969 41.9% 48.7%
1970 42% 48.2%
1971 42.1% 47.9%
1972 42.2% 47.5%
1973 42.3% 47.2%
1974 42.4% 46.9%
1975 42.6% 46.6%
1976 42.8% 46.4%
1977 43% 46.4%
1978 43.3% 46.4%
1979 43.5% 46.5%
1980 43.7% 46.8%
1981 44% 47.1%
1982 44.3% 47.4%
1983 44.6% 47.7%
1984 44.9% 48.1%
1985 45% 48.3%
1986 45.2% 48.6%
1987 45.4% 48.8%
1988 45.5% 48.9%
1989 45.6% 48.9%
1990 45.7% 49%
1991 45.8% 48.9%
1992 45.9% 48.7%
1993 46% 48.4%
1994 46.3% 50.1%
1995 46.5% 52.4%
1996 46.7% 51.4%
1997 46.9% 50.5%
1998 46.9% 49.2%
1999 46.9% 47.8%
2000 46.8% 46.4%
2001 46.7% 45.2%
2002 46.6% 44.3%
2003 46.4% 43.7%
2004 46.1% 43.3%
2005 45.9% 43.1%
2006 45.6% 42.9%
2007 45.3% 42.9%
2008 45.1% 42.8%
2009 44.8% 42.6%
2010 44.5% 42.4%
2011 44.3% 42.2%
2012 44.1% 41.9%
2013 43.9% 41.7%
2014 43.7% 41.4%
2015 43.6% 41.1%
2016 43.3% 40.9%
2017 43.1% 40.5%
2018 42.8% 40.1%
2019 42.4% 39.7%
2020 42% 39.2%
2021 41.6% 38.6%
2022 41.2% 38.2%
2023 40.7% 37.7%
2024 40.2% 37.4%
2025 39.7% 37%
2026 39.2% 36.7%
2027 38.5% 36.4%
2028 37.9% 36%
2029 37.3% 35.7%
2030 36.7% 35.4%
2031 36.2% 35%
2032 35.7% 34.7%
2033 35.2% 34.4%
2034 34.8% 34.1%
2035 34.3% 33.7%
2036 33.9% 33.4%
2037 33.4% 33.1%
2038 33% 32.9%
2039 32.5% 32.6%
2040 32.1% 32.3%
2041 31.7% 32%
2042 31.3% 31.7%
2043 30.9% 31.4%
2044 30.5% 31.1%
2045 30.2% 30.8%
2046 29.8% 30.5%
2047 29.5% 30.2%
2048 29.1% 29.9%
2049 28.8% 29.7%
2050 28.4% 29.4%

Children aged 0-14 make up 40.2% of the population in the Gambia and 37.4% in Rwanda in 2024, compared to 45.7% and 49% respectively in 1990.

Demographics of the Gambia and Rwanda compared.

Natural population change in Gambia vs Rwanda by year

For the past 10 years, the annual natural population change (excluding migration) has been +2.59% in the Gambia and +2.45% in Rwanda. The chart below illustrates the comparison of the absolute yearly changes resulting from births and deaths.

Gambia
Rwanda

Natural population change

Year Population change due to births and deaths
Gambia Rwanda
1960 8,420 100,627
1961 8,778 102,051
1962 9,150 102,548
1963 9,493 94,296
1964 9,825 102,562
1965 10,162 103,422
1966 10,422 105,128
1967 10,823 108,053
1968 11,215 111,422
1969 11,670 115,394
1970 12,128 119,273
1971 12,842 122,567
1972 13,432 126,403
1973 14,046 131,021
1974 14,628 135,743
1975 15,256 140,596
1976 16,032 147,665
1977 16,773 155,011
1978 17,424 163,779
1979 18,543 174,477
1980 19,566 184,988
1981 20,156 195,769
1982 21,894 205,147
1983 23,175 212,750
1984 24,586 219,337
1985 25,795 223,794
1986 27,195 225,526
1987 28,452 225,744
1988 29,938 223,759
1989 31,504 217,632
1990 33,163 207,895
1991 34,584 196,431
1992 35,951 188,025
1993 37,302 183,926
1994 38,880 -719,479
1995 39,681 121,137
1996 40,253 140,455
1997 40,742 174,687
1998 41,842 197,185
1999 42,533 210,518
2000 43,249 221,276
2001 44,154 230,845
2002 45,156 239,036
2003 46,473 251,243
2004 48,276 265,273
2005 50,010 275,121
2006 52,335 282,149
2007 53,653 285,791
2008 55,032 287,334
2009 56,575 287,034
2010 58,554 286,848
2011 60,571 282,922
2012 62,745 282,584
2013 63,510 286,331
2014 63,185 292,779
2015 62,832 299,114
2016 62,358 305,549
2017 61,665 310,323
2018 60,854 312,512
2019 61,701 313,525
2020 62,209 312,692
2021 62,239 309,895
2022 63,634 312,145
2023 65,118 312,762

Fertility rates around the globe

Fertility rate

Maternal mortality chart: Gambia vs Rwanda

The maternal mortality rate, which is the probability of dying during childbirth or within 42 days of pregnancy termination, is 354 deaths per 100,000 live births in the Gambia, compared to 229 deaths in Rwanda.

Gambia
Rwanda
Year Maternal mortality per 100K births
Gambia Rwanda
1985 1,454 1,116
1986 1,401 1,126
1987 1,360 1,145
1988 1,302 1,188
1989 1,258 1,238
1990 1,207 1,309
1991 1,167 1,386
1992 1,115 1,530
1993 1,072 1,619
1994 1,039 5,721
1995 999 1,505
1996 956 1,295
1997 928 1,318
1998 867 1,268
1999 830 1,073
2000 810 885
2001 794 769
2002 772 677
2003 749 551
2004 719 460
2005 707 465
2006 682 494
2007 675 494
2008 653 454
2009 634 418
2010 632 393
2011 634 358
2012 628 331
2013 606 317
2014 561 301
2015 527 292
2016 490 278
2017 469 275
2018 450 269
2019 422 261
2020 400 252
2021 420 254
2022 365 234
2023 354 229

Under-five mortality rates

The chance that a newborn baby will die before reaching age five is 4.41% in the Gambia and 4% in Rwanda. Below is the historical data on under-five mortality rates.

Gambia
Rwanda

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
Gambia Rwanda
1960 36.2% 22.4%
1961 35.5% 21.9%
1962 34.8% 21.5%
1963 34.1% 21.3%
1964 33.5% 21.1%
1965 32.8% 21.1%
1966 32.1% 21.2%
1967 31.5% 21.4%
1968 30.9% 21.7%
1969 30.2% 22%
1970 29.5% 22.3%
1971 28.9% 22.6%
1972 28.2% 23%
1973 27.5% 23.4%
1974 26.9% 24%
1975 26.2% 24.6%
1976 25.5% 25.1%
1977 24.9% 25.1%
1978 24.2% 24.6%
1979 23.6% 23.4%
1980 23% 21.8%
1981 22.3% 20.1%
1982 21.7% 18.6%
1983 21% 17.4%
1984 20.4% 16.6%
1985 19.7% 16.1%
1986 19.1% 15.6%
1987 18.4% 15.2%
1988 17.8% 14.8%
1989 17.2% 14.8%
1990 16.6% 15.1%
1991 16% 16%
1992 15.5% 17.5%
1993 14.9% 19.3%
1994 14.4% 38.9%
1995 13.9% 21.8%
1996 13.3% 22.2%
1997 12.8% 22.2%
1998 12.3% 21.5%
1999 11.8% 20.2%
2000 11.3% 18.5%
2001 10.9% 16.7%
2002 10.4% 14.9%
2003 9.95% 13.3%
2004 9.52% 11.8%
2005 9.11% 10.5%
2006 8.71% 9.37%
2007 8.33% 8.45%
2008 7.98% 7.62%
2009 7.64% 6.92%
2010 7.31% 6.33%
2011 7.01% 5.81%
2012 6.73% 5.45%
2013 6.45% 5.17%
2014 6.18% 4.96%
2015 5.93% 4.78%
2016 5.7% 4.63%
2017 5.47% 4.52%
2018 5.27% 4.43%
2019 5.07% 4.34%
2020 4.89% 4.25%
2021 4.72% 4.16%
2022 4.56% 4.08%
2023 4.41% 4%

Compare countries by 7 more topics

Birth rate comparisons

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