Fertility and Marriage
Continued high fertility in some countries and areas is the major driver of population growth, while in other countries and areas the decline of fertility to historically low levels propels changes in the age distribution, including the gradual ageing of the human population. Even though the past few decades have witnessed a major reduction in fertility levels worldwide, global and regional data and trends mask widespread diversity. The timing, prevalence and stability of marriages and unions not only shape the reproductive behaviour of women and men, but are also linked to wider social and economic changes such as improvements in women鈥檚 educational attainment and labour force participation. The Population Division produces estimates and projections of fertility rates by age for all countries and areas in the world, and prepares analytical studies of fertility levels and trends on a regular basis. The Division also produces estimates, compilations and analyses of patterns in marriage and union formation and dissolution.
Data and facts
Publications
- UN DESA Policy Brief No. 172: The New Landscape of Fertility and Family Planning 30 Years After Cairo and Beijing
- World Fertility 2024
- Estimating age-specific fertility rate in the World Population Prospects: A Bayesian modelling approach. Technical paper No. UN/DESA/POP/2023/TP/No.6
- Selecting adolescent birth rates for monitoring and reporting on SDGs. Technical paper No. UN DESA/POP/2022/TP/No.4
- World Population Policies 2021: Policies related to fertility
- A sensitivity analysis of the projected median fertility trajectories in the World Population Prospects. Technical Paper No. 2021/01
- World Fertility and Family Planning 2020 Highlights