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The Occupied Palestinian territories, namely the West Bank and Gaza Strip, had the highest average births per woman in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, reaching almost 3.5 and 3.3 births per woman respectively in 2024. Bahrain and the UAE had the lowest birth rates per woman in the region.

Birth rates and maternal health improvements in MENA

Birth rates in the Middle East and North Africa have decreased considerably over the years. The crude birth rate in MENA dropped from around 25 per 1,000 population in 2000 to 20 in 2021. Considerable progress has been made regarding the health of women who are pregnant. The  maternal mortality ratio in MENA decreased from 108 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2000, to 56 in 2020. Another trend is a slow but noticeable decline in the  adolescent fertility rate in MENA over the last two decades, from around 44 in 2000 to about 34 births per 1,000 adolescent girls in 2022.

Persistent female health issues

A high female obesity rate is a prevalent health issues stemming from lifestyles in MENA. The obesity rate among adult females in MENA ranged from around 59 percent in Egypt to approximately 31.5 percent in Morocco as of 2022. Female genital mutilation is another societal problem in the region, though not an isolated one. The number of girls and women who have undergone female genital mutilation in Africa was around 144 million in 2024. In the Middle East, this number was much lower, at about six million.