Determinants and Consequences of  High Fertility

World Bank

Determinants and Consequences of High Fertility

Autores

World Bank

Editor

World Bank, Washington, DC

Descripción

In the six decades since 1950, fertility has fallen substantially in developing countries. Even so, high fertility, defined as five or more births per woman over the reproductive career, characterizes 33 countries. Twenty-nine of these countries are in Sub-Saharan Africa. High fertility poses health risks for children and their mothers, detracts from human capital investment, slows economic growth, and exacerbates environmental threats. These and other consequences of high fertility are reviewed in the first half of this paper. Recognizing these detrimental consequences motivates two inter-related questions that are addressed in the second half of the paper: Why does high fertility persist? And what can be done about it? The high-fertility countries lag in many development indicators, as reflected for example in their rate of progress toward achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). These countries have also received less development assistance for population and reproductive health than countries more advanced in their transitions to lower fertility, and the assistance they did receive increased only marginally from 1995 to 2007, a period during which commitments to both health and HIV/AIDS rose substantially.

Palabras clave

ABORTION, ABSTINENCE, ACCESS TO FAMILY PLANNING, ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SERVICES, ACQUIRED IMMUNODEFICIENCY SYNDROME, AGE DISTRIBUTION, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION, AIR POLLUTION, ASSISTANCE FOR POPULATION, BEHAVIOR CHANGE, BIODIVERSITY, CARBON DIOXIDE, CHANGES IN FERTILITY, CHILD HEALTH, CHILD MORTALITY, CHILD SURVIVAL, CHILDBEARING, CONDOM, CONDOM USE, CONSEQUENCES OF FERTILITY, CONTRACEPTION, CONTRACEPTIVE METHODS, CONTRACEPTIVE PRACTICE, CONTRACEPTIVE PREVALENCE, CONTRACEPTIVE USE, DECLINE IN FERTILITY, DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS, DEMOGRAPHIC IMPACT, DEMOGRAPHIC PHENOMENA, DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION, DEPENDENCY RATIO, DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE, EARLY CHILDHOOD, EARLY CHILDHOOD MORTALITY, ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF POPULATION, ECONOMIC GROWTH, ECONOMIC PRODUCTIVITY, EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT, EFFECTS OF POPULATION, ELDERLY, ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS, FAMILY PLANNING, FAMILY PLANNING PROGRAM, FAMILY PLANNING SERVICES, FAMILY SIZE, FERTILITY, FERTILITY ATTITUDES, FERTILITY CONTROL, FERTILITY DECLINE, FERTILITY PREFERENCES, FERTILITY RATE, FERTILITY REGULATION, FERTILITY TRANSITION, FERTILITY TRANSITIONS, FEWER CHILDREN, FEWER PREGNANCIES, FIRST BIRTH, FIRST MARRIAGE, FOREST COVER, FORMULATION OF POPULATION, FOSSIL FUELS, GENDER EQUITY, GREENHOUSE GASES, GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT, HEALTH COALITION, HEALTH RISKS, HIV, HIV INFECTION, HUMAN CAPITAL, HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, HUMAN HEALTH, HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS, HUMAN LIFE, HUMAN POPULATION, HUMAN POPULATION DENSITY, HUMAN POPULATION GROWTH, HUMAN SETTLEMENT, HUSBANDS, IMPACT OF POPULATION, IMPACT OF POPULATION GROWTH, IMPACT ON FERTILITY, IMPLICATIONS FOR POPULATION POLICY, INDIVIDUAL WELFARE, INFANT, INFANT MORTALITY, INFANT MORTALITY RATE, INFORMATION CAMPAIGNS, INFORMED DECISIONS, INTERNATIONAL FAMILY PLANNING, INTERNATIONAL FAMILY PLANNING PERSPECTIVES, INTERNATIONAL WOMEN, LABOR FORCE, LAM, LARGE CITIES, LARGE FAMILIES, LEVEL OF FERTILITY, LIFETIME RISK, LIVE BIRTHS, LOW BIRTH WEIGHT, LOW-INCOME SETTINGS, LOWER FERTILITY, MANAGEMENT OF POPULATION, MARRIED WOMEN, MATERNAL CAUSES, MATERNAL DEATH, MATERNAL HEALTH, MATERNAL MORBIDITY, MATERNAL MORTALITY, MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOAL, MODERN CONTRACEPTION, MORTALITY, MORTALITY DECLINE, MORTALITY RISK, MOTHER, NATIONAL POPULATION, NATURAL ENVIRONMENT, NEED FOR FAMILY PLANNING, NEONATAL MORTALITY, NUMBER OF BIRTHS, NUMBER OF CHILDREN, NUTRITION, OLD AGE, PANDEMIC, POLICY RESEARCH, POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER, POPULATION ACTION, POPULATION ACTION INTERNATIONAL, POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT, POPULATION ASSOCIATION, POPULATION CHANGE, POPULATION COUNCIL, POPULATION DEBATE, POPULATION DENSITY, POPULATION EDUCATION, POPULATION FACTORS, POPULATION GROWTH RATE, POPULATION GROWTH RATES, POPULATION INCREASE, POPULATION MATTERS, POPULATION POLICY, POPULATION PRESSURE, POPULATION STUDIES, POTENTIAL CONTRIBUTION, PRACTITIONERS, PREGNANCIES, PREGNANCY, PROGRESS, PROVISION OF FAMILY PLANNING, PUBLIC HEALTH, RAPID POPULATION GROWTH, RATE OF POPULATION GROWTH, RECIPIENT COUNTRIES, REDUCING MATERNAL MORTALITY, REPRODUCTIVE AGE, REPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOR, REPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOUR, REPRODUCTIVE DESIRES, REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, REPRODUCTIVE PATTERNS, REPRODUCTIVE PREFERENCES, REPRODUCTIVE-AGE COUPLES, RESOURCE CONSTRAINTS, RESPECT, RISK OF DEATH, RURAL AREAS, SEXUAL BEHAVIOR, SEXUAL PARTNERS, SMALL FAMILIES, SOCIAL BARRIERS, SOCIAL FACTORS, SOCIOECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS, SOIL EROSION, SPECIES, START OF CHILDBEARING, STATE UNIVERSITY, UNEMPLOYMENT, UNITED NATIONS POPULATION FUND, UNWANTED PREGNANCIES, URBAN AREAS, URBANIZATION, WOMAN, WORKING-AGE POPULATION, YOUNG AGES