Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, is now giving birth to more babies each year than all of Europe plus Russia combined, a milestone that reflects profound global demographic change.

Across Europe, birth rates tell a changing story. According to new findings from the Pew Research Center, Muslim families are having more children on average than non-Muslims, a pattern that is reshaping the region’s population dynamics.

Throughout history, the extraordinary sizes of some families have broken records and fascinated people across the globe.