Fertility levels, trends, and differentials 1995-1999

The study provides an update to previous comparative studies on fertility based on data from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS). The report includes data from 43 countries in which DHS surveys were conducted between 1995 and 1999 in the third and fourth phases of the DHS program. Several measures of fertility are presented according to women"s residence, migration status, level of education, current work status, and husband"s education and occupation. The report examines trends in fertility for all 43 countries, using birth history data. In addition, for the 22 countries for which data are available from at least two DHS surveys, the study examines fertility trends. The study also examines age at first birth, parity progression ratios, and information on the length of birth intervals to evaluate changes in the onset of reproduction, spacing of births, and termination of childbearing. Finally, the study uses the Bongaarts proximate determinants framework to assess the levels of fertility inhibition due to later marriage and cohabitation, lactational amenorrhea and postpartum abstinence, and contraception. (Author abstract, modified)