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Article: Fertility rates: the decline is stalling. (attaining demographic transitions in population growth)
- Article from:
- World Watch
- Article date:
- March 1, 1994
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1994 Worldwatch Institute. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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During the 1970s, one of the encouraging developments in population trends was the reduction in the total fertility rate in several key countries, including the world's two largest nations--China and India. (The fertility rate measures the average number of children born to women in their childbearing years.) In China, the rate dropped precipitously, from 6.4 children per woman in 1968 to 2.2 in 1980. In India, the decline was more modest, but still significant: from 5.8 children per woman between 1966 and 1971 to 4.8 children between 1976 and 1981.
These trends helped slow the rate of world population growth from 2.1 percent between 1965 and 1970 to 1.7 percent ...