Kavango West, Ohangwena and Omaheke recorded the highest fertility rates in 2023, with women in these three regions recording an average of more than five children.

The Namibia Statistics Agency’s (NSA) 2023 Population and Housing Census fertility report recorded a total fertility rate of 5.450 children per woman in Kavango West, 5.197 in Ohangwena and 5.183 in Omaheke.

The report says the “average number of children per woman [has remained] stable over the past 12 years”, while also pointing to a change in the timing of childbearing.

Namibia’s total fertility rate stood at 3.897 children per woman in 2023, with a marked difference between rural and urban areas. Rural women recorded a rate of 5.027 children per woman, compared with 3.166 among urban women.

The three regions with the highest fertility rates were followed by Zambezi at 4.696, Kunene at 4.522, Oshikoto at 4.511, Omusati at 4.465, Kavango East at 4.457 and Otjozondjupa at 4.266.

At the other end of the scale, Khomas recorded the lowest total fertility rate at 2.684 children per woman, followed by Erongo at 3.025 and ||Kharas at 3.251.

The report says there has also been a shift in the age at which women are having children, adding that “women are delaying childbearing during 15–24, with a ‘catch-up’ in the 30s/40s.”

Fertility rates among women below the age of 30 have steadily declined between 2001 and 2023, according to the report.

The peak fertility rate remains among women aged 25 to 29, but it fell from more than 180 births per 1 000 women in 2001 to about 166 in 2023. Teenage fertility among women aged 15 to 19 also declined from about 76 births per 1 000 women in 2001 to about 62 in 2023.

The NSA report suggests that “higher educational attainment, labour force participation and family planning usage” may be attributed to the changing fertility pattern.

Source: https://www.namibian.com.na/kavango-west-identified-as-top-fertility-hotspot/