Trends and Socio-Economic Differentials in Fertility in Nepal

Abstract

Fertility is defined as the actual reproductive performance of a woman during her reproductive periods. The purpose of this study is to examine the trends of socio-economic differentials of fertility in Nepal, based on secondary sources of data. These data were obtained from the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey, the Central Bureau of Statistics, and the Population Reference Bureau, and other related peer-reviewed journals, academic texts, online sources and related reports. The results of the study reflect that the trends of fertility in Nepal have gradually declined. Including the total fertility rate in Nepal have declined from 6.3 children per women to 2.1 per women over the period of 1971 to NDHS report 2022. Similarly, the Crude Birth Rate (CBR) is also declined from 41.3 per thousand population in the census 1971 census to 20 per thousand in 2021 Census. The results of the study further show that; education play significant role for decrease fertility. Women with no formal education had a TFR of 3.3 per woman, whereas those with more than secondary education had a TFR of only 1.6 per woman. The Gandaki and Bagmati provinces have relatively better socio-economic condition and higher level of education, which are associated with delayed marriage, and the lowest fertility levels, compared to Madhesh and Karnali provinces. This decline reflects improvements in various socio-economic and demographic indicators, including women's education, urbanization, healthcare services and facilities, and access to family planning methods, and government policies play a central role in shaping fertility behavior in Nepal.