Total Fertility Rate: Global and South Asia

The graph illustrates the total fertility rate trends globally and in South Asia from 1950 to 2100. The total fertility rate in a specific year is defined as the total number of children that would be born to each woman if she were to live to the end of her child-bearing years and give birth to children in alignment with the prevailing age-specific fertility rates (OECD).

Overt time, both global and South Asian fertility rates have steadily declined. Projections indicate that in the future, these rates will drop below the replacement level of 2.1. Replacement rate" refers to the total fertility rate (the average number of children born per woman) needed for a population to maintain its size, typically around 2.1 children per woman.