How Is Fertility Behavior in Africa Different?

Area of Science:

• Demography
• Public Health
• Sociology

Background:

• Sub-Saharan Africa exhibits a slower fertility decline compared to global trends.
• Previous research often relied on aggregate data, limiting nuanced understanding.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare fertility outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa with East Asia, South Asia, and Latin America by education level.
• To investigate the role of offspring mortality and school quality in regional fertility differences.

Main Methods:

• Utilized large-scale, individual-level data for detailed analysis.
• Estimated fertility outcomes stratified by region, residence, age group, and educational grade level.
• Employed women's literacy rates as a proxy for primary school quality.

Main Results:

• Fertility differences between sub-Saharan Africa and other regions widen with primary education, then narrow for higher education levels.
• For comparable education levels, fertility differences were smaller for surviving children than for children ever born.
• Literacy rate patterns mirrored fertility outcome patterns, suggesting school quality impacts fertility.

Conclusions:

• Higher offspring mortality and lower primary school quality contribute to elevated fertility in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Education's impact on fertility varies significantly by region and educational attainment.
• Addressing child mortality and improving primary education quality may influence fertility trends in sub-Saharan Africa.