Across the world, is men’s fertility different from that of women?

Abstract

Across the world, the mean number of children per man ranges from less than 1 to more than 13, while for women the range is between 1 and 8. It is in sub-Saharan Africa that male fertility is highest, notably in
the Sahelian countries, with 13.6 children per man on average in Niger, 13.5 in South Sudan and 12.1 in Chad. In only four countries (South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho and Namibia) is male fertility below 6 children per man. In most western countries, on the other hand, fertility is low, and men’s fertility is slightly below that of women, often by around 0.1 children.