There isn't one single "most fertile man," but rather regions with highest fertility rates, primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa, notably countries like Niger, Chad, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with high average children per man/woman. While individual fertility varies, data points to men in these African nations, along with some Asian groups showing high sperm counts, as having exceptionally high reproductive output or potential, though biological factors and environmental influences play complex roles.
The highest fertility levels are observed in Niger (13.6 children on average), South Sudan (13.5 children), Chad (12.1 children) and in the Sahelian countries more generally. In only four countries (South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho and Namibia) is male fertility below 6 children per man.
The highest total sperm motility (median: 55.0%) was observed in Caucasian, Central/South Asian, and Southeast Asian men, while Sub-Saharan African men had the lowest (median: 45.0%; p < 0.0001).
Mama Francine: Arguably the world's most fertile woman with 53 children Afrimax media house has uncovered a 50 year-old woman in Goma, DR Congo, 🇨🇩 who has given birth to a record-breaking 53 children. At the age of 16, she met a man, and had her first son who is 34 years old today.
Discussion. In our study, black women had a significantly higher odds of ever having experienced infertility than white women. Even after adjustment for socioeconomic position, marital status, and other risk factors for infertility, this disparity persisted.
Genghis Khan – 3,000 children
Modern studies have suggested that today around 16 million people globally may carry the DNA of Genghis Khan. This is because the warlord is believed to have fathered at least 1,000 children, with some modern experts estimating that his offspring might have totalled a jaw-dropping 3,000.
Glazer et al also demonstrated that Asians had the highest sperm concentrations and Blacks the lowest, similar to our data.
Human semen is composed of fluids from the seminal vesicles, prostate, and bulbourethral glands which mix during ejaculation. The seminal vesicles contribute 70% of semen volume, which contains fructose as the main energy source for sperm.
All figures are estimates. In 2024, the fertility rate in Taiwan was estimated to be at 1.11 children per woman, making it the lowest fertility rate worldwide. The fertility rate is the average number of children born per woman of child-bearing age in a country.
In the United States, the highest fertility rates (per 1,000 women ages 15-44) during 2021-2023 (average) were to Hispanic women (64.4), followed by Blacks (55.2), Whites (52.5), American Indian/Alaska Natives (49.3) and Asian/Pacific Islanders (48.1).
Hispanics have the youngest, 27.6. Non-Hispanic blacks (32.9) and non-Hispanic Asians (35.9) also are younger than whites. Related to their younger age profiles, racial and ethnic minority groups also include a higher share of women in the prime child-bearing ages of 20-34.
Asians had the highest mean semen concentrations (69.2 × 106/mL), whereas blacks had the lowest (51.3 × 106/mL).
(14) analyzed semen samples from 1082 fertile men from European cities (Copenhagen, Paris, Edinburgh, and Turku) and found that Danish men had the lowest sperm concentrations and total sperm counts, followed by French and Scottish men, while Finnish men had the highest sperm counts.
The eight highest ranking countries in terms of fertility are all found in Africa, with the top three being Chad (6.03), Somalia (6.01), and the DRC (5.98). Even so, these countries have seen meaningful five-year drops in their rates, averaging around a 0.4 decrease in births per woman.
After 7 days of not ejaculating, sperm that isn't released is naturally reabsorbed by the body or expelled via nocturnal emission ("wet dreams"), with no significant health risks, though some anecdotal claims of benefits (energy, focus) lack strong scientific backing, while prolonged retention (beyond a week) might slightly decrease sperm quality for fertility analysis but isn't harmful for general health, though extended periods of arousal without release might cause temporary testicular discomfort ("blue balls").
What is healthy sperm?
One study found that Black men were more likely to have lower semen volume, sperm concentration, total sperm count, and total motile sperm counts than White or Hispanic men were (16, 17).
Racial disparities in health have been well noted, with blacks, in particular, having poorer health than whites across a broad range of outcomes.
Telegram founder Pavel Durov told French media earlier this year that he has more than 100 kids around the world, mostly from babies conceived through his sperm donations.
The oldest ever man to father a child was reportedly Les Colley (1898 - 1998, Australia), who had his ninth child a son named Oswald to his third wife at the age of 92 years 10 months.
The Woman Who Had the Most Children in History Valentina Vassilyeva, born in 1707 and died in 1782, is recognized as "the woman who had the most children in history" according to the Guinness Book of Records. She was the first wife of Feodor Vassilyev, a peasant from Shuya, Russia.