This communication studies the dynamics of fertility in 180 countries in the period 1950
2015 and investigates the determinants of the onset of fertility transitions. We nd
evidence of convergence in three groups of countries, and distinguish the trans-
itioning countries from those not transitioning. The estimation of the year of onset
of the fertility transition is followed by an econometric analysis of the causes of
this event. Instrumental-variable estimates show that increasing female education
and reduced infant mortality are important determinants of fertility decline, while
per-capita GDP has probably worked in the opposite direction. These results are
conrmed by the application of Lewbels (2012) methods where identication is
based on heteroskedasticity
