Fertility Transition in Sub-Saharan Africa
Document Type
Book
Publication Date
5-2017
Abstract
Fertility remains high in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa, and the pace of decline is considerably slower than it was in Asia and Latin America during the 1970s. Optimism that a rapid fertility transition was imminent, a common view among scholars in the 1990s, was dashed by survey evidence that steadily accumulated through the 2000s. At this juncture, the future course of fertility in sub-Saharan Africa remains highly uncertain. Many scientific and policy questions about the region’s fertility decline remain unresolved. Competing hypotheses have been proposed to explain the late onset and slow pace of transition. Motivated by these lacunae, the Committee on Population of the US National Academy of Sciences conducted a workshop in 2015 bringing together demographers and other social scientists with African research experience to analyze recent fertility trends in sub-Saharan Africa and to assess the prospects for more rapid reproductive change in the region. The chapters in this supplement to Population and Development Review are based on papers presented at the workshop.
Recommended Citation
Casterline, John and John Bongaarts (editors). 2017. "Fertility Transition in Sub-Saharan Africa," supplement to Population and Development Review Vol. 43.
Language
English