The total fertility rate represents the average number of children that a woman will have over the course of their reproductive years. In South Africa in the early-1920s, the average woman would have 6.5 children over the course of their reproductive years, a rate that would remain fairly constant until 1950. From this point until 2005, South Africa’s fertility rate would drop consistently, and would reach 2.9 children per woman by the beginning of the 21st century. There was a slight increase in fertility in 2005, largely attributed to a diversion of healthcare funding away from contraceptives to funding for treatments for the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the country, however, the fertility rate would again decrease in the years following this. In 2020, the total fertility rate for South Africa is estimated to be just 2.41 children per woman, a rate much lower than most other Sub-Saharan countries.
Total fertility rate in South Africa from 1925 to 2020*
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UN DESA, & Gapminder. (August 31, 2019). Total fertility rate in South Africa from 1925 to 2020* [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved September 20, 2024, from https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/1069710/fertility-rate-south-africa-historical/
UN DESA, und Gapminder. "Total fertility rate in South Africa from 1925 to 2020*." Chart. August 31, 2019. Statista. Accessed September 20, 2024. https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/1069710/fertility-rate-south-africa-historical/
UN DESA, Gapminder. (2019). Total fertility rate in South Africa from 1925 to 2020*. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: September 20, 2024. https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/1069710/fertility-rate-south-africa-historical/
UN DESA, and Gapminder. "Total Fertility Rate in South Africa from 1925 to 2020*." Statista, Statista Inc., 31 Aug 2019, https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/1069710/fertility-rate-south-africa-historical/
UN DESA & Gapminder, Total fertility rate in South Africa from 1925 to 2020* Statista, https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/1069710/fertility-rate-south-africa-historical/ (last visited September 20, 2024)
Total fertility rate in South Africa from 1925 to 2020* [Graph], UN DESA, & Gapminder, August 31, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www-statista-com.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/statistics/1069710/fertility-rate-south-africa-historical/