How reduced demand for children and access to family planning accelerated the fertility decline in Colombia

Abstract

By the early 1960s, Colombia was one of the fastest growing countries in the world. With a total fertility rate of seven children per woman and a rapidly declining mortality, its population was growing at a rate that would double in size every 22 years. But from the years 1973 - 1985 the doubling time increased to 41 years. This slowdown in growth, caused by a dramatic decline in fertility, was one of the most rapid demographic transition processes in the world. The causes and mechanisms of this phenomena deserve to be carefully studied if the experience is to be replicated in other countries. A framework developed by Richard Easterlin is used in this study to analyze the fertility change in Colombia. Considering the effects of socioeconomic changes on supply of and demand for children, together with effects on regulation costs, this framework will allow us to understand the underlying causes and processes behind the fertility decline.Economic Theory&Research,Environmental Economics&Policies,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Health Economics&Finance,Adolescent Health