Countries by live births

India had the highest live births of 236 countries in 2016, at 25.21 million. Vatican City had the lowest, at 2. The median was 78,880 and the figure for the World was 144.85 million. Source: the United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division.

Highest25,207,147India

Lowest2Vatican City

Median78,880236 countries

World144,854,100History

Top 40 countries, 2016

count. Source: UN WPP, World Population Prospects 2024, Online Edition. Births during the calendar year, estimates 1950 to 2023 (Births). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

Rank	Countries	2016 count	Change on 2015
1	India Estimated	25,207,147	+0.2%
2	China Estimated	18,329,285	+4.6%
3	Nigeria Estimated	7,382,060	-0.6%
4	Pakistan Estimated	6,594,506	-1.1%
5	Indonesia Estimated	4,799,811	-1.3%
6	United States Estimated	3,952,809	-0.7%
7	Democratic Republic of the Congo Estimated	3,599,622	+2.7%
8	Ethiopia Estimated	3,556,850	+2.7%
9	Bangladesh Estimated	3,252,648	+0.8%
10	Brazil Estimated	2,874,734	-2.9%
11	Egypt Estimated	2,711,820	-3.4%
12	Philippines Estimated	2,322,601	-3.8%
13	Mexico Estimated	2,162,620	-2%
14	Tanzania Estimated	2,025,496	+3.5%
15	Russia Estimated	1,886,740	-2.5%
16	Vietnam Estimated	1,627,396	-5.2%
17	Iran Estimated	1,574,609	+1%
18	Uganda Estimated	1,485,180	+1.4%
19	Sudan Estimated	1,461,090	+2.3%
20	Kenya Estimated	1,453,935	-0.1%
21	Türkiye Estimated	1,400,744	+0.8%
22	Afghanistan Estimated	1,344,010	+0.9%
23	Angola Estimated	1,201,836	+2%
24	South Africa Estimated	1,160,623	-2.6%
25	Yemen Estimated	1,157,021	+3.3%
26	Iraq Estimated	1,146,998	-3.2%
27	Mozambique Estimated	1,096,020	+2.1%
28	Algeria Estimated	1,039,209	+0.6%
29	Côte d’Ivoire Estimated	980,892	+0.2%
30	Japan Estimated	967,960	-2.7%
31	Myanmar Estimated	955,836	+0.5%
32	Niger Estimated	949,088	+2.2%
33	Cameroon Estimated	885,986	+3.2%
34	Ghana Estimated	885,765	-0.8%
35	Madagascar Estimated	877,298	+2.2%
36	Mali Estimated	842,699	+1.9%
37	Germany Estimated	788,207	+7.6%
38	United Kingdom Estimated	776,038	-0.4%
39	Burkina Faso Estimated	752,608	+0.1%
40	France Estimated	744,662	-2%
41	Argentina Estimated	737,028	-4%
42	Uzbekistan Estimated	735,600	-0.2%
43	Thailand Estimated	716,458	-4.1%
44	Chad Estimated	688,209	+1%
45	Colombia Estimated	677,004	-2.4%
46	Morocco Estimated	673,304	-0.2%
47	Somalia Estimated	668,096	+2.6%
48	Zambia Estimated	619,352	+1.1%
49	Nepal Estimated	613,425	-0.4%
50	Malawi Estimated	600,917	-0.4%
51	Saudi Arabia Estimated	600,614	+3.3%
52	Venezuela Estimated	561,841	-1.2%
53	Peru Estimated	542,161	-0.8%
54	Senegal Estimated	508,586	+1%
55	Malaysia Estimated	501,915	-1.6%
56	Zimbabwe Estimated	477,484	-2.2%
57	Italy Estimated	467,188	-2.6%
58	Guinea Estimated	451,706	+1.6%
59	Benin Estimated	450,993	+1.8%
60	Burundi Estimated	450,656	-3.5%
61	Ukraine Estimated	438,564	-2.3%
62	Guatemala Estimated	422,285	+0.8%
63	Kazakhstan Estimated	410,247	+0.8%
64	Spain Estimated	406,867	-2.4%
65	South Korea Estimated	397,938	-6.3%
66	Poland Estimated	392,402	+3.4%
67	Canada Estimated	383,577	-0.3%
68	Rwanda Estimated	381,065	+2%
69	Cambodia Estimated	379,768	+0.4%
70	South Sudan Estimated	379,614	-3.5%
71	Syria Estimated	376,564	-9%
72	North Korea Estimated	345,838	+0.7%
73	Sri Lanka Estimated	342,918	-1.5%
74	Australia Estimated	309,657	+1.4%
75	Ecuador Estimated	290,846	-2.6%
76	Tajikistan Estimated	274,310	-0.8%
77	Togo Estimated	270,395	+1.8%
78	Haiti Estimated	267,875	0%
79	Bolivia Estimated	260,185	-0.1%
80	Papua New Guinea Estimated	249,721	+0.7%
81	Sierra Leone Estimated	246,383	+1%
82	Jordan Estimated	237,633	+5.3%
83	Chile Estimated	231,728	-2.3%
84	Honduras Estimated	224,051	+0.7%
85	Tunisia Estimated	218,516	-1.3%
86	Dominican Republic Estimated	213,553	-0.4%
87	Romania Estimated	208,708	+2%
88	Taiwan Estimated	206,135	-2.9%
89	Central African Republic Estimated	204,529	+1.9%
90	Republic of the Congo Estimated	178,053	-0%
91	Israel Estimated	174,190	+1.7%
92	Netherlands Estimated	173,884	+0.9%
93	Azerbaijan Estimated	173,748	-4.9%
94	Turkmenistan Estimated	171,349	+0.4%
95	Laos Estimated	169,731	-0%
96	Liberia Estimated	161,339	+0.8%
97	Mauritania Estimated	152,849	+2%
98	Kyrgyzstan Estimated	149,936	-2.7%
99	Palestine Estimated	149,516	+0.6%
100	Libya Estimated	140,949	-1.6%
101	Paraguay Estimated	140,526	+0.7%
102	Nicaragua Estimated	137,493	-0.4%
103	Lebanon Estimated	121,382	-4.1%
104	Belgium Estimated	120,896	-0.2%
105	Belarus Estimated	117,118	-1.6%
106	Cuba Estimated	116,026	-5.9%
107	Sweden Estimated	115,765	+1.5%
108	Czechia Estimated	112,635	+1.5%
109	El Salvador Estimated	109,938	-4.3%
110	United Arab Emirates Estimated	97,054	+1.5%
111	Hungary Estimated	94,367	+2.6%
112	Eritrea Estimated	94,027	-0.9%
113	Greece Estimated	93,010	+1%
114	Oman Estimated	90,204	+2.7%
115	Austria Estimated	87,159	+4.3%
116	Switzerland Estimated	86,752	+1.5%
117	Portugal Estimated	86,453	+2%
118	Gambia Estimated	79,003	-0.6%
119	Hong Kong Estimated	78,756	-1.3%
120	Panama Estimated	78,547	-0%
121	Mongolia Estimated	77,152	-2%
122	Namibia Estimated	73,932	+1.5%
123	Costa Rica Estimated	69,035	-2.6%
124	Serbia Estimated	66,824	-1.8%
125	Gabon Estimated	65,074	+2.6%
126	Bulgaria Estimated	65,025	-1.3%
127	Ireland Estimated	63,823	-2.7%
128	Guinea-Bissau Estimated	62,682	-0.3%
129	Lesotho Estimated	61,638	+0.4%
130	Denmark Estimated	60,927	+5.4%
131	Georgia Estimated	59,981	-1.3%
132	Kuwait Estimated	58,704	-0.5%
133	Botswana Estimated	58,673	+0.6%
134	New Zealand Estimated	58,552	-2.2%
135	Norway Estimated	58,544	-0.1%
136	Slovakia Estimated	57,430	+3.4%
137	Finland Estimated	52,612	-4.7%
138	Equatorial Guinea Estimated	50,965	+1.5%
139	Moldova Estimated	48,179	-3.7%
140	Singapore Estimated	46,597	-2.2%
141	Uruguay Estimated	46,383	-3.7%
142	Armenia Estimated	40,595	-2.8%
143	Croatia Estimated	36,663	-0.9%
144	Jamaica Estimated	36,364	-2.6%
145	Albania Estimated	34,407	-4.5%
146	Timor-Leste Estimated	32,120	-1.5%
147	Eswatini Estimated	31,753	-1.8%
148	Lithuania Estimated	31,113	-2%
149	Bosnia and Herzegovina Estimated	29,459	-1.7%
150	Puerto Rico Estimated	28,840	-9%
151	Qatar Estimated	25,913	+0.8%
152	North Macedonia Estimated	24,258	-0.2%
153	Djibouti Estimated	23,929	-0.5%
154	Comoros Estimated	23,804	-0.1%
155	Latvia Estimated	22,133	-0.4%
156	Bahrain Estimated	20,905	-0.6%
157	Solomon Islands Estimated	20,624	+1.1%
158	Slovenia Estimated	20,392	-1.5%
159	Fiji Estimated	18,889	-2.1%
160	Trinidad and Tobago Estimated	18,399	-1.2%
161	Guyana Estimated	17,052	-0.2%
162	Cyprus Estimated	14,234	+3.8%
163	Estonia Estimated	14,027	+1.5%
164	Réunion Estimated	13,230	-1.3%
165	Mauritius Estimated	13,198	+2%
166	Suriname Estimated	11,133	-1.7%
167	Bhutan Estimated	11,076	-4.5%
168	Mayotte Estimated	9,430	+4.4%
169	Western Sahara Estimated	9,326	+0.4%
170	Cape Verde Estimated	8,878	-0.8%
171	Vanuatu Estimated	8,844	+1.4%
172	Belize Estimated	7,795	+0.8%
173	Montenegro Estimated	7,754	+0.1%
174	French Guiana Estimated	7,274	+5.3%
175	Macao Estimated	7,154	+1.9%
176	Maldives Estimated	6,877	-3.6%
177	Brunei Estimated	6,749	-1.6%
178	São Tomé and Príncipe Estimated	6,455	-2.4%
179	Luxembourg Estimated	5,967	-0.4%
180	Samoa Estimated	5,958	-1%
181	Guadeloupe Estimated	4,819	-3.9%
182	Bahamas Estimated	4,650	-4.3%
183	New Caledonia Estimated	4,442	-0.3%
184	Malta Estimated	4,361	+3.1%
185	Martinique Estimated	4,028	-2.9%
186	Iceland Estimated	4,013	-2.8%
187	French Polynesia Estimated	3,908	-6.2%
188	Guam Estimated	3,511	+6.8%
189	Kiribati Estimated	3,378	+0.2%
190	Barbados Estimated	3,273	-0.6%
191	Tonga Estimated	2,662	-2.9%
192	Micronesia Estimated	2,547	-0.6%
193	Saint Lucia Estimated	2,144	-0.4%
194	Curaçao Estimated	1,821	-9.9%
195	Seychelles Estimated	1,776	+4.7%
196	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Estimated	1,610	-5.2%
197	Grenada Estimated	1,503	-5.4%
198	U.S. Virgin Islands Estimated	1,286	-4.4%
199	Aruba Estimated	1,224	-2.3%
200	Marshall Islands Estimated	1,179	-4%
201	Antigua and Barbuda Estimated	1,049	-6.8%
202	American Samoa Estimated	1,000	-4.6%
203	Jersey Estimated	968	-3.1%
204	Northern Mariana Islands Estimated	933	-8.4%
205	Dominica Estimated	899	-2.6%
206	Greenland Estimated	846	+0.4%
207	Isle of Man Estimated	788	-3.5%
208	Saint Martin Estimated	724	-3.2%
209	Cayman Islands Estimated	650	-0.9%
210	Saint Kitts and Nevis Estimated	641	-0.9%
211	Faroe Islands Estimated	634	+6%
212	Andorra Estimated	609	-7.6%
213	Bermuda Estimated	582	+1.2%
214	Guernsey Estimated	537	-3.1%
215	Turks and Caicos Islands Estimated	490	+5.6%
216	Sint Maarten Estimated	441	-3.9%
217	Gibraltar Estimated	405	-6%
218	Monaco Estimated	401	+3.1%
219	Nauru Estimated	374	-0.3%
220	Liechtenstein Estimated	366	+12.3%
221	British Virgin Islands Estimated	323	-8.5%
222	Cook Islands Estimated	274	-2.1%
223	Tuvalu Estimated	260	+1.6%
224	Caribbean Netherlands Estimated	257	+17.9%
225	San Marino Estimated	230	-8%
226	Palau Estimated	227	+1.3%
227	Anguilla Estimated	154	+2.7%
227	Wallis and Futuna Estimated	154	0%
229	Saint Barthélemy Estimated	72	-5.3%
230	Montserrat Estimated	48	+6.7%
230	Saint Helena Estimated	48	-2%
232	Saint Pierre and Miquelon Estimated	44	0%
233	Falkland Islands Estimated	43	+2.4%
234	Tokelau Estimated	30	-3.2%
235	Niue Estimated	27	0%
236	Vatican City Estimated	2	-33.3%

Other periods

About this ranking

Live births to mothers resident in the area during the year.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the countries are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024, Online Edition. Births during the calendar year, estimates 1950 to 2023 (Births). Modelled estimate. https://population.un.org/wpp/assets/Excel%20Files/1_Indicator%20(Standard)/CSV_FILES/WPP2024_Demographic_Indicators_Medium.csv.gz. Retrieved 2026-10-12. CC BY 3.0 IGO.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. (2024). World Population Prospects 2024, Online Edition. Births during the calendar year, estimates 1950 to 2023 (Births) (Countries by live births, 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://population.un.org/wpp/assets/Excel%20Files/1_Indicator%20(Standard)/CSV_FILES/WPP2024_Demographic_Indicators_Medium.csv.gz

MLA 9

World Population Prospects 2024, Online Edition. Births during the calendar year, estimates 1950 to 2023 (Births), Countries by live births, 2016. United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, 13 Dec. 2024, https://population.un.org/wpp/assets/Excel%20Files/1_Indicator%20(Standard)/CSV_FILES/WPP2024_Demographic_Indicators_Medium.csv.gz. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/births/countries?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. 2024. World Population Prospects 2024, Online Edition. Births during the calendar year, estimates 1950 to 2023 (Births). Countries by live births, 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://population.un.org/wpp/assets/Excel%20Files/1_Indicator%20(Standard)/CSV_FILES/WPP2024_Demographic_Indicators_Medium.csv.gz. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/births/countries?period=2016.

Harvard

United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024) World Population Prospects 2024, Online Edition. Births during the calendar year, estimates 1950 to 2023 (Births), Countries by live births, 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://population.un.org/wpp/assets/Excel%20Files/1_Indicator%20(Standard)/CSV_FILES/WPP2024_Demographic_Indicators_Medium.csv.gz, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/births/countries?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{united_countries_by_live_births_2016,
  author = {{United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division}},
  title = {{World Population Prospects 2024, Online Edition. Births during the calendar year, estimates 1950 to 2023 (Births): Countries by live births, 2016}},
  year = {2024},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://population.un.org/wpp/assets/Excel%20Files/1_Indicator%20(Standard)/CSV_FILES/WPP2024_Demographic_Indicators_Medium.csv.gz},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/births/countries?period=2016. Publisher attribution: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024, Online Edition. Births during the calendar year, estimates 1950 to 2023 (Births). Modelled estimate. https://population.un.org/wpp/assets/Excel\%20Files/1\_Indicator\%20(Standard)/CSV\_FILES/WPP2024\_Demographic\_Indicators\_Medium.csv.gz. Retrieved 2026-10-12. CC BY 3.0 IGO.},
}

RIS

TY  - DATA
AU  - United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division
TI  - World Population Prospects 2024, Online Edition. Births during the calendar year, estimates 1950 to 2023 (Births): Countries by live births, 2016
PY  - 2024
DA  - 2024/12/13
PB  - United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://population.un.org/wpp/assets/Excel%20Files/1_Indicator%20(Standard)/CSV_FILES/WPP2024_Demographic_Indicators_Medium.csv.gz
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/births/countries?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/births/countries?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024, Online Edition. Births during the calendar year, estimates 1950 to 2023 (Births). Modelled estimate. https://population.un.org/wpp/assets/Excel%20Files/1_Indicator%20(Standard)/CSV_FILES/WPP2024_Demographic_Indicators_Medium.csv.gz. Retrieved 2026-10-12. CC BY 3.0 IGO.
ER  -

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Questions

Which country has the highest live births?

India, with 25.21 million in 2016, according to the United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division.

Which country has the lowest live births?

Vatican City, with 2 in 2016.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, World Population Prospects 2024, Online Edition. Births during the calendar year, estimates 1950 to 2023 (Births). Retrieved 2026-10-12.