Human fertility declines significantly in developing countries, UN says

With government polices generally supporting family planning programmes, men and women in developing countries are following the trend set in rich nations by waiting longer to marry and then having fewer children, according to the United Nations.

The data, released in a UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) study called "World Fertility Report 2003," shows that in 192 countries the median proportion of still-single women between the ages of 25 and 29 rose to 24 per cent in the 1990s from 15 per cent in the 1970s, while the figures for men were 44 per cent from 32 per cent over the same period.

More dramatically, the figures jumped to 38 per cent from 15 per cent among women in just the rich countries and to 57 per cent from 26 per cent among men in those countries during the same time periods, it says.

The Governments of 72 per cent of the 192 countries were supporting family planning directly by distributing contraceptives themselves and 17 per cent were supporting it indirectly though non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

The result was that the median of people using family planning, or forms of contraception, increased to 52 per cent from 38 per cent in rich countries, and to 40 per cent from 27 per cent in developing countries during the same time period.

Female fertility in all countries came to average about 2.9 children per woman, dropping from 5.4 children between the 1990s and the 1970s, while women are starting their families later, it says. The decline results mainly from the significant drop, to 3.9 children from 5.9 children per woman, in developing countries, since rich nations had already shown that tendency, the report says.