More Babies Will Be Born in These Two Continents in 2026 Than Anywhere Else

The stork is going to be making a lot of deliveries in 2026, according to calculations put together by the United Nations. That's because the agency believes that 2026 has the makings of a major baby boom, with more than a billion babies expected to make their grand entrance during the year.

But, unlike previous years when we've seen a large influx of new arrivals, this year's boom is expected to hit two continents particularly hard, with more than 85 percent of the babies arriving there.

The delivery rooms in Asia and Africa will be some of the busiest in the world during the 2026 baby boom, according to the United Nations' estimates. While this is likely good news for all of the eager parents who are already expecting their little bundles of joy, the boom could place some unexpected strains on the infrastructure of these regions, and we don't just mean in the local OBs' offices.

You can learn more about the predicted baby boom below, including what the experts say is behind it.

HealthandMe says that the United Nations world map indicates that 85 percent of all the babies born in 2026 will arrive in either Asia or Africa. According to the calculations, experts predict that Asia will welcome 64.8 billion bouncing baby boys and girls during the year, which will represent around 49 percent of all births around the world.

Meanwhile, Africa will see the arrival of 47.6 billion babies, which will represent about 35.9 percent of the world's total new arrivals for the year.

It looks like Asia's baby boom will persist despite the fact that places like Japan, China, and South Korea are reporting a decline in fertility rates. This is good news for places like South Korea, which has struggled with declining birthrates for almost 10 years. In fact, birthrates went up 6.7 percent in 2025, the biggest jump since 2007.

As for Africa, HealthandMe says that a younger population, combined with high fertility rates, will likely be behind this continent's increased population.

If you're someone who is hoping to start or expand your family in 2026, you may be interested to know exactly how the family demographics look where you live. According to the findings, the populations of Latin America and the Caribbean will be expanding by about 9.3 billion babies, which will make up roughly 7 percent of the world's population.

Meanwhile, places like Europe and North America will experience smaller booms, with only 4.6 percent and 3 percent of the world's population born here.

And then Oceania is bringing up the rear, with just .5 percent of the world's births expected to happen here.

Antarctica gets an honorable mention as well, even though the report says that the continent has no permanent population, which makes it hard to estimate how many visits the stork will make to the frozen tundra.

In fact, the International Antarctic Center says just 11 babies have been born here. And with zero deaths, this continent officially has the lowest infant mortality rate!