Population Growth and Reproduction in Sub-Saharan Africa: Technical Analyses of Fertility and Its Consequences.

Abstract

Population growth rates in sub Saharan Africa are the highest of any region in the world. From 1980 to 1985, its growth rate was 3.2 percent a year, whereas in Latin America, the next highest, it was 2.3 percent and in Europe it was only 0.3 percent. This report represents a selection of papers on consequences of population growth, underlying high fertility patterns, and cultural environment regulating reproduction in the region. The volume begins with information on demographic conditions in the region ( part 1 ). In part 2, the economic consequences of population growth are viewed from the perspectives of agriculture, household energy, resources and employment. The urban component of population growth and strategies for dealing with it are also discussed. Part 3 contains analyses of the impact of reproductive patterns upon the health of women and young children and of the region's high fertility upon the family and its resources. Part 4 deals with the main component of rapid population growth and very high fertility. This part includes analyses of the proximate determinants of fertility, how they operate within sub Saharan African cultures, the constraints enforced by culture and tradition and the causes and consequences of the high demand for children and low demand for contraception. Part 5 traces the changes during the past decade in the way sub Saharan government leaders and scholars view population policy and development .