Fertility is one the major components of population growth and age structure change and is central to the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development. The past few decades have witnessed a major decline in world fertility, though global and even regional aggregates mask widespread diversity in fertility change. The Population Division produces estimates, compilations and analyses of fertility levels and trends and assesses Government concern and policies related to fertility.
World Fertility Report is one of the Division’s key publications documenting and analysing changes in fertility over time. Data on over 20 fertility-related measures are compiled and assessed from a variety of sources, including civil registration, population censuses and nationally representative sample surveys. Data on government views and policies on fertility are also included. World Fertility Data provides a comparable and up-to-date set of national data—on-line and as a CDRom—on fertility and the timing of childbearing for all countries and areas of the world. World Fertility Patterns is a wall chart that provides a concise profile of total fertility, age-specific fertility and mean age at childbearing for most countries and areas of the world across two time periods. Global, regional and country analyses are also available in expert group meetings and panels, reports and informative briefs noted below.
Publications
- World Fertility Policies 2011 (wall chart)
- World Fertility Patterns 2009 (wall chart)
- World Fertility Report 2009
- Child Adoption: Trends and Policies
Events
- Expert Panel on Fertility, Reproductive Health and Development - December 2010, New York
- Expert Group Meeting on Health, Mortality and Development - November 2009, New York
Data/Interactive Data