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Fertility & birth rates in India and Lesotho

Updated on by Georank team

India has an annual birth rate of 16.1 births per 1,000 people, compared to 24.1 for Lesotho. The average number of children a woman is expected to have during her lifetime — the fertility rate, is 1.98 in India and 2.69 in Lesotho — 36.4% difference.

1960 vs 2023, the fertility rate has decreased by -66.6% in India and by -53.4% in Lesotho — in 1960, it was 5.92 and 5.78, respectively.

Birth rates facts compared:

  • India is ranked 93/196 by birth rate compared to 56/196 for Lesotho.
  • The mean age for first-time mothers is 21.2 years in India, compared to 20.9 years in Lesotho.
  • The mean age at childbearing (for all the births, not just the first) is 27.7 in India — it's 27.9 in Lesotho.
  • Annual births per 1,000 women ages 15-19 (adolescent birth rate or teenage mother rate) is 14.1 in India vs 70.6 in Lesotho.
  • In India, 26.3% of the population is composed of women of reproductive age (15-49), compared to 27.8% in Lesotho.
  • Excluding migration, the natural population change due to births and deaths from 2022 to 2023 was +0.95% in India and +1.35% in Lesotho.

Birth rate data compared

India Lesotho
Fertility rate 1.98 2.69
Birth rate 16.1 24.1
Birth rate rank 93/196 56/196
Age at first childbirth 21.2 years 20.9 years
Average age at childbearing 27.7 years 27.9 years
Annual births per 1,000 women ages 15-19 12 69.1
Annual births per 1,000 women ages 20-29 131.1 134.4
Annual births per 1,000 women ages 30+ 17.9 38.1
Female of reproductive age (15-49), share of population 26.3% 27.8%
Any modern method of contraceptive prevalence among married women ages 15-49 56.4% 65.3%
Share of births attended by skilled health staff 89.4% 86.6%
Maternal mortality per live birth 0.08% 0.48%
Neonatal mortality rate (before reaching 28 days of age) 1.73% 2.87%
Infant mortality rate (before reaching 1 year of age) 2.45% 5.54%
Mortality rate before reaching 5 years of age, per 1,000 live births 2.77% 5.89%
Population change due to births and deaths +13,711,993 +31,115
Natural population change rank 1/196 103/196
Natural population change rate +0.95% +1.35%
Population growth +0.89% +1.12%
Population growth rank 109/197 96/197
Life expectancy 72.5 years 58.2 years

Fertility rate in India vs Lesotho chart

According to the latest available data on birth rates, the fertility rate in India was 1.98 children per woman in 2023, compared to 2.69 in Lesotho in 2023. The replacement level is considered to be 2.1 children per woman.

Check India vs Lesotho population clock for a dynamic visualization of the changing population.

The chart below showcases historical changes in the birth rates.

India
Factual

UN forecast
Lesotho
Factual

UN forecast

Births per woman

Year Fertility rate
India Lesotho
1960 5.92 5.78
1961 5.94 5.79
1962 5.95 5.79
1963 5.97 5.78
1964 5.98 5.77
1965 5.94 5.77
1966 5.88 5.76
1967 5.83 5.75
1968 5.76 5.73
1969 5.68 5.7
1970 5.62 5.7
1971 5.57 5.7
1972 5.48 5.69
1973 5.4 5.69
1974 5.33 5.75
1975 5.2 5.83
1976 5.13 5.87
1977 5.01 5.85
1978 4.89 5.82
1979 4.81 5.79
1980 4.78 5.75
1981 4.7 5.69
1982 4.62 5.63
1983 4.57 5.56
1984 4.52 5.48
1985 4.43 5.4
1986 4.4 5.32
1987 4.31 5.22
1988 4.22 5.1
1989 4.13 4.96
1990 4.05 4.81
1991 3.96 4.68
1992 3.88 4.54
1993 3.8 4.37
1994 3.72 4.21
1995 3.65 4.13
1996 3.58 4.06
1997 3.51 3.98
1998 3.45 3.82
1999 3.38 3.67
2000 3.35 3.61
2001 3.3 3.63
2002 3.22 3.68
2003 3.12 3.62
2004 3.05 3.51
2005 2.96 3.43
2006 2.87 3.41
2007 2.78 3.44
2008 2.71 3.39
2009 2.67 3.31
2010 2.6 3.25
2011 2.53 3.34
2012 2.47 3.3
2013 2.4 3.28
2014 2.29 3.24
2015 2.29 3.22
2016 2.28 3.18
2017 2.19 3.11
2018 2.18 3.02
2019 2.12 2.92
2020 2.05 2.85
2021 2.01 2.77
2022 1.99 2.72
2023 1.98 2.69
2024 1.96 2.66
2025 1.94 2.64
2026 1.93 2.61
2027 1.91 2.58
2028 1.9 2.55
2029 1.89 2.53
2030 1.88 2.5
2031 1.87 2.47
2032 1.86 2.45
2033 1.85 2.43
2034 1.84 2.41
2035 1.84 2.38
2036 1.83 2.37
2037 1.82 2.34
2038 1.81 2.32
2039 1.81 2.3
2040 1.8 2.29
2041 1.8 2.27
2042 1.79 2.25
2043 1.79 2.24
2044 1.78 2.22
2045 1.78 2.21
2046 1.78 2.19
2047 1.77 2.18
2048 1.77 2.17
2049 1.77 2.16
2050 1.76 2.14

Children 0-14 years as share of population

India
Factual

UN forecast
Lesotho
Factual

UN forecast
Year Share of people 0-14 years old
India Lesotho
1960 40.6% 45.1%
1961 40.9% 45.2%
1962 41.2% 45.3%
1963 41.5% 45.2%
1964 41.6% 44.9%
1965 41.7% 44.8%
1966 41.7% 44.9%
1967 41.6% 44.8%
1968 41.5% 44.4%
1969 41.5% 44%
1970 41.4% 43.6%
1971 41.2% 43.1%
1972 41.1% 42.7%
1973 41% 42.3%
1974 40.8% 41.9%
1975 40.7% 41.6%
1976 40.5% 41.4%
1977 40.3% 41.5%
1978 40.1% 41.7%
1979 40% 41.9%
1980 39.8% 42.1%
1981 39.7% 42.3%
1982 39.6% 42.5%
1983 39.5% 42.7%
1984 39.4% 42.8%
1985 39.3% 43%
1986 39.2% 42.7%
1987 39.1% 42.5%
1988 38.9% 42.7%
1989 38.8% 42.8%
1990 38.6% 42.9%
1991 38.4% 42.9%
1992 38.1% 42.8%
1993 37.9% 42.6%
1994 37.6% 42.3%
1995 37.3% 42%
1996 37% 41.7%
1997 36.7% 41.2%
1998 36.3% 40.7%
1999 35.9% 40.2%
2000 35.6% 39.6%
2001 35.2% 39.1%
2002 34.8% 38.6%
2003 34.4% 38.1%
2004 34% 37.7%
2005 33.6% 37.4%
2006 33.1% 37.1%
2007 32.7% 36.8%
2008 32.2% 36.7%
2009 31.8% 36.6%
2010 31.3% 36.5%
2011 30.9% 36.5%
2012 30.4% 36.5%
2013 29.9% 36.5%
2014 29.4% 36.6%
2015 28.9% 36.6%
2016 28.4% 36.6%
2017 27.8% 36.5%
2018 27.3% 36.3%
2019 26.8% 36.1%
2020 26.3% 35.8%
2021 25.9% 35.6%
2022 25.5% 35.3%
2023 25.1% 34.9%
2024 24.6% 34.5%
2025 24.2% 34.1%
2026 23.8% 33.6%
2027 23.4% 33.1%
2028 23% 32.6%
2029 22.7% 32%
2030 22.4% 31.5%
2031 22.1% 31%
2032 21.8% 30.5%
2033 21.5% 30.1%
2034 21.3% 29.7%
2035 21% 29.3%
2036 20.8% 29%
2037 20.6% 28.8%
2038 20.4% 28.5%
2039 20.2% 28.3%
2040 19.9% 28.1%
2041 19.7% 27.8%
2042 19.5% 27.6%
2043 19.3% 27.4%
2044 19.1% 27.1%
2045 18.8% 26.9%
2046 18.6% 26.7%
2047 18.4% 26.4%
2048 18.2% 26.2%
2049 18% 25.9%
2050 17.8% 25.7%

Children aged 0-14 make up 24.6% of the population in India and 34.5% in Lesotho in 2024, compared to 38.6% and 42.9% respectively in 1990.

Demographics of India and Lesotho compared.

Natural population change in India vs Lesotho by year

For the past 10 years, the annual natural population change (excluding migration) has been +1.06% in India and +1.44% in Lesotho. The chart below illustrates the comparison of the absolute yearly changes resulting from births and deaths.

India
Lesotho

Natural population change

Year Population change due to births and deaths
India Lesotho
1960 10,237,489 19,981
1961 10,468,816 20,581
1962 10,743,409 21,132
1963 11,016,705 21,585
1964 11,285,378 22,116
1965 10,925,714 22,755
1966 11,089,894 23,326
1967 11,279,897 23,911
1968 12,006,807 24,490
1969 12,167,671 25,137
1970 12,417,866 25,935
1971 12,787,104 26,838
1972 13,041,792 27,841
1973 13,412,707 28,859
1974 13,795,836 30,444
1975 13,958,642 32,311
1976 14,435,504 34,117
1977 14,575,662 35,654
1978 14,898,145 37,084
1979 15,392,957 38,440
1980 16,018,786 39,617
1981 16,422,159 40,808
1982 16,790,507 41,941
1983 17,219,127 42,899
1984 17,698,810 43,785
1985 17,968,697 44,575
1986 18,455,495 45,232
1987 18,496,213 47,718
1988 18,702,916 47,158
1989 18,848,915 46,264
1990 18,893,588 45,060
1991 19,049,524 44,026
1992 19,132,757 42,579
1993 19,152,399 40,505
1994 19,310,798 38,629
1995 19,396,161 37,370
1996 19,442,699 36,228
1997 19,494,098 34,637
1998 19,569,575 30,889
1999 19,648,424 27,393
2000 19,984,160 24,786
2001 20,182,573 23,190
2002 20,024,621 22,274
2003 19,720,507 20,133
2004 19,469,758 17,271
2005 19,034,839 15,831
2006 18,641,737 15,234
2007 18,331,648 17,763
2008 18,234,926 19,349
2009 18,286,055 20,335
2010 17,991,935 21,877
2011 17,793,362 25,647
2012 17,552,365 27,592
2013 17,107,541 29,789
2014 16,165,943 30,922
2015 16,211,195 32,087
2016 16,202,593 33,390
2017 15,394,041 33,601
2018 15,451,168 33,112
2019 14,859,846 32,279
2020 13,366,946 30,721
2021 10,227,523 27,806
2022 13,912,130 30,803
2023 13,711,993 31,115

Fertility rates around the globe

Fertility rate

Maternal mortality chart: India vs Lesotho

The maternal mortality rate, which is the probability of dying during childbirth or within 42 days of pregnancy termination, is 80 deaths per 100,000 live births in India, compared to 478 deaths in Lesotho.

India
Lesotho
Year Maternal mortality per 100K births
India Lesotho
1985 658 711
1986 624 680
1987 592 686
1988 562 680
1989 538 680
1990 516 665
1991 498 641
1992 482 601
1993 467 542
1994 451 423
1995 437 357
1996 422 319
1997 407 312
1998 393 332
1999 378 371
2000 362 413
2001 349 465
2002 330 484
2003 313 508
2004 296 499
2005 277 549
2006 258 696
2007 240 891
2008 223 1,205
2009 205 1,387
2010 188 1,311
2011 173 1,210
2012 160 1,000
2013 148 855
2014 137 707
2015 129 594
2016 121 518
2017 113 468
2018 107 491
2019 101 467
2020 101 529
2021 155 577
2022 90 477
2023 80 478

Under-five mortality rates

The chance that a newborn baby will die before reaching age five is 2.77% in India and 5.89% in Lesotho. Below is the historical data on under-five mortality rates.

India
Lesotho

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
India Lesotho
1960 24.1% 18.6%
1961 23.8% 18.5%
1962 23.5% 18.5%
1963 23.2% 18.6%
1964 22.9% 18.6%
1965 22.7% 18.7%
1966 22.4% 18.6%
1967 22.2% 18.5%
1968 22% 18.3%
1969 21.7% 18%
1970 21.5% 17.7%
1971 21.2% 17.3%
1972 20.8% 16.9%
1973 20.5% 16.5%
1974 20.1% 16%
1975 19.6% 15.5%
1976 19.1% 14.9%
1977 18.6% 14.2%
1978 18% 13.6%
1979 17.5% 12.9%
1980 16.9% 12.3%
1981 16.4% 11.7%
1982 15.9% 11.1%
1983 15.5% 10.6%
1984 15% 10.1%
1985 14.6% 9.72%
1986 14.2% 9.36%
1987 13.8% 9.06%
1988 13.4% 8.8%
1989 13% 8.6%
1990 12.7% 8.47%
1991 12.3% 8.43%
1992 12% 8.51%
1993 11.6% 8.73%
1994 11.3% 9.07%
1995 11% 9.45%
1996 10.6% 9.83%
1997 10.3% 10.2%
1998 9.89% 10.5%
1999 9.53% 10.7%
2000 9.16% 10.9%
2001 8.8% 11.1%
2002 8.45% 11.2%
2003 8.11% 11.4%
2004 7.77% 11.5%
2005 7.44% 11.6%
2006 7.11% 11.5%
2007 6.79% 11.2%
2008 6.46% 10.9%
2009 6.14% 9.64%
2010 5.82% 9.01%
2011 5.5% 8.59%
2012 5.2% 8.26%
2013 4.91% 8.02%
2014 4.63% 7.82%
2015 4.36% 7.51%
2016 4.11% 7.18%
2017 3.87% 7.12%
2018 3.64% 6.91%
2019 3.43% 6.87%
2020 3.24% 6.68%
2021 3.06% 6.44%
2022 2.91% 6.15%
2023 2.77% 5.89%

Compare countries by 7 more topics

Birth rate comparisons

Birth rate vs India vs Lesotho
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