Niger has one of the highest population growth rates in the world (3.9 per cent in 2012). The population is extremely young: people under 15 account for more than half of the total population (51.7 per cent). The extreme youth of the Nigerien population is related to its high fertility rate, which is six children per woman on average, linked to the strong desire to have children both among men (11 children) and women (9 children), and the low use of family planning (12.3 per cent).