Table 1.
Distribution of women ideal number of children across 53 countries
| Country | Survey year | Sample size | Women’s ideal number of children | |
| (Mean)* | SD | |||
| Overall | 3.89 | 2.54 | ||
| African region | 5.71 | 2.86 | ||
| Angola | 2015–2016 | 715 | 6.51 | 2.76 |
| Benin | 2017–2018 | 1351 | 5.82 | 2.56 |
| Burkina Faso | 2017–2018 | 1560 | 6.40 | 2.23 |
| Burundi | 2016–2017 | 1382 | 4.13 | 1.68 |
| Cameroon | 2011 | 997 | 6.51 | 3.06 |
| Chad | 2014–2015 | 886 | 7.65 | 3.61 |
| Comoros | 2012 | 304 | 5.62 | 2.68 |
| Côte d'Ivoire | 2011–2012 | 707 | 6.41 | 2.63 |
| Democratic Republic of Congo | 2013–2014 | 1475 | 7.14 | 3.17 |
| Eswatini | 2006–2007 | 225 | 3.00 | 1.69 |
| Ethiopia | 2016 | 1960 | 5.50 | 3.14 |
| Gabon | 2012 | 822 | 5.44 | 2.62 |
| Gambia | 2013 | 384 | 6.60 | 2.61 |
| Ghana | 2014 | 807 | 5.06 | 2.08 |
| Kenya | 2014 | 1638 | 4.07 | 1.98 |
| Lesotho | 2014 | 273 | 3.35 | 1.62 |
| Liberia | 2013 | 582 | 5.84 | 2.72 |
| Madagascar | 2008–2009 | 1620 | 5.36 | 2.53 |
| Malawi | 2015–2016 | 1069 | 4.45 | 1.75 |
| Mali | 2012–2013 | 901 | 6.44 | 2.72 |
| Mozambique | 2011 | 668 | 6.31 | 2.60 |
| Namibia | 2013 | 671 | 4.01 | 2.32 |
| Niger | 2012 | 807 | 9.99 | 3.42 |
| Nigeria | 2018 | 2762 | 6.49 | 3.26 |
| Rwanda | 2014–2015 | 1094 | 4.10 | 1.82 |
| Sao Tome and Principe | 2008–2009 | 319 | 4.17 | 1.90 |
| Senegal | 2010–2011 | 1286 | 5.25 | 2.20 |
| Sierra Leone | 2013 | 635 | 5.97 | 2.59 |
| South Africa | 2016 | 322 | 3.10 | 1.51 |
| Togo | 2013–2014 | 876 | 5.10 | 2.11 |
| Uganda | 2016 | 683 | 5.99 | 2.59 |
| Zambia | 2018 | 2034 | 5.83 | 2.27 |
| Zimbabwe | 2015 | 1064 | 4.73 | 1.96 |
| Eastern Mediterranean region | 4.98 | 2.31 | ||
| Afghanistan | 2015 | 3082 | 5.61 | 2.34 |
| Jordan | 2017–2018 | 1401 | 4.17 | 1.91 |
| Pakistan | 2017–2018 | 1096 | 4.03 | 2.08 |
| European region | 2.82 | 1.19 | ||
| Albania | 2017–2018 | 1668 | 2.60 | 0.95 |
| Armenia | 2015–2016 | 607 | 2.79 | 0.87 |
| Azerbaijan | 2006 | 776 | 2.85 | 1.04 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 2012 | 542 | 4.43 | 1.46 |
| Ukraine | 2007 | 730 | 2.12 | 0.71 |
| Region of the Americas | 2.93 | 1.69 | ||
| Bolivia | 2008 | 1207 | 2.86 | 1.72 |
| Colombia | 2015 | 5859 | 2.64 | 1.55 |
| Dominican Republic | 2013 | 1574 | 3.42 | 1.85 |
| Guyana | 2009 | 679 | 3.23 | 1.73 |
| Haiti | 2016–2017 | 1515 | 3.46 | 1.71 |
| South-East Asian region | 2.52 | 1.22 | ||
| Bangladesh | 2011 | 1123 | 2.37 | 0.79 |
| India | 2015–2016 | 27 427 | 2.37 | 1.06 |
| Indonesia | 2017 | 4742 | 2.85 | 1.22 |
| Myanmar | 2015–2016 | 1230 | 3.05 | 1.51 |
| Nepal | 2016 | 912 | 2.34 | 0.88 |
| Timor-Leste | 2016 | 904 | 4.84 | 2.61 |
| Western Pacific region | 3.73 | 1.31 | ||
| Cambodia | 2014 | 1117 | 3.73 | 1.31 |
*Non-numerical responses considered as a mean ideal number of children.