-
Recent fertility declines in China and India: A comparative view
- Source: Asia-Pacific Population Journal, Volume 10, Issue 4, Dec 1996, p. 1 - 14
-
- 06 Dec 1996
- Previous Article
- Table of Contents
- Next Article
Abstract
China and India are the two most populous countries in the world and together they account for almost 38 per cent of the global population. China’s population has already crossed the 1.2 billion mark and India’s is expected to exceed 1 billion around the turn of the century. However, in recent years, the annual growth rate of the Chinese population has slowed down, to about 1.1 per cent, whereas in India it continues to be almost 2 per cent. The available evidence shows that China has experienced a large and remarkably rapid fertility transition in recent years, whereas although fertility in India has also fallen, the decline has been much smaller. Why has India not been as successful as China in achieving a fertility decline?
© United Nations