Senegal’s fertility rate fell to 3.8 births per woman in 2024.

Neither way is good in itself. A higher rate means faster population growth, a larger young generation and more demand for schools and maternity care. A lower rate means slower growth, more room for women's paid work and earlier population ageing. Which of these suits a country depends on its own goals. In Senegal the latest figure, for 2024, is 3.8 births per woman, down 0.05 from 3.8 births per woman a year earlier, a fall of 1.4%. Since 2015 the rate has ranged from 4.8 births per woman in 2015 to 3.8 births per woman in 2024, so the latest reading sits at the bottom of that range.

Why it matters. At 3.8 births per woman, many Senegalese households are raising several children, which shapes spending on food, schooling and health. The state has to plan classrooms, clinics and jobs for a young population that is still growing, while the lower rate than in 2015 slows the rise in each new school intake. The next annual figure, compared with 3.8, will show whether the decline since 2015 is continuing.