12 Countries with the Highest Birth Rates, Including Indonesia
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Birth and death figures across countries point to differing demographic trends. Some countries continue to experience rapid population growth, while others are seeing deaths rise as their populations age.
According to United Nations projections in the World Population Prospects 2024, India is expected to record the world’s highest number of births in 2025, at 23.07 million babies. This is almost three times the projected figure for China, at 8.71 million.
The data were visualised by Julie R. Peasley and published by Visual Capitalist. The comparison covers the 12 countries with the highest numbers of births in 2025, showing the contrast between countries with strong population growth and those beginning to see their populations shrink.
India leads, Indonesia ranks sixth
India is projected to record 23.07 million births and 9.72 million deaths in 2025. China ranks second, with 8.71 million births and 11.72 million deaths.
China is the only country in the list of 12 expected to record more deaths than births. This reflects the demographic challenges facing the country, including falling birth rates and an ageing population.
Among countries still recording more births than deaths, the United States has the smallest difference, at around 570,000 people.
Falling birth rates are changing global demographics
Fertility rates are continuing to fall worldwide. Several countries, including China and the United States, are already below the replacement fertility rate of about 2.1 children per woman.
Even so, the United States is still projected to record more births than deaths in 2025. This shows that declining fertility does not necessarily lead to an immediate fall in population.
In some developing countries, improved healthcare and lower mortality rates are also supporting population growth. However, public health challenges, such as infectious diseases and limited access to healthcare, remain concerns in some regions.
Over the longer term, falling birth rates combined with ageing populations could mean that more countries record more deaths than births. Nevertheless, population growth may continue for decades, depending on age structures and the size of existing populations.
The differences between births and deaths show that demographic change is not happening uniformly around the world. Some countries continue to experience strong population growth, while others are beginning to face the challenges of ageing and population decline.
Countries with the highest numbers of births and deaths in 2025
India — Births: 23.07 million; deaths: 9.72 million
China — Births: 8.71 million; deaths: 11.72 million
Nigeria — Births: 7.64 million; deaths: 2.75 million
Pakistan — Births: 6.91 million; deaths: 1.64 million
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) — Births: 4.56 million; deaths: 0.94 million
Indonesia — Births: 4.44 million; deaths: 2.20 million
Ethiopia — Births: 4.18 million; deaths: 0.79 million
United States — Births: 3.66 million; deaths: 3.09 million
Bangladesh — Births: 3.44 million; deaths: 0.90 million
Brazil — Births: 2.53 million; deaths: 1.53 million
Egypt — Births: 2.45 million; deaths: 0.66 million
Tanzania — Births: 2.42 million; deaths: 0.40 million