Publication

In this working paper the authors provide improved estimates of recent fertility levels and trends in Nepal and analyze the components of fertility change. First, the quality of the data from the Nepal Demographic and Health Surveys is assessed, then fertility levels estimated. These levels are decomposed into various categories such as ecological region or urban/rural residence, as examples. Using own-children estimates, the total fertility rate is found to have fallen over the six-year period to 2001. Almost half of the decline is found to stem from changes in geographic, demographic and socioeconomic variables.