Fertility transition in Africa: theoretical issues and diversity of patterns (WITHDRAWN)

Alejandro Aguirre, El Colegio de México

The demographic transition around the world has taken place in different periods, at different paces, and with different characteristics. In Europe it took about 150 years (roughly between 1800 and 1950) and it was a spontaneous social change. In some Asian countries and most Latin American countries occurred during the XX century, in some decades, and it was induced by active family planning programmes. Africa is by no means a homogeneous region. Although the fertility transition is for most countries an incipient process, several patterns can be identified in relation with the intensity and the speed of the fertility decline so far. The Maghreb seems to go ahead in the fertility transition. In the Sub-saharan region some countries have had minimum reductions, whereas in others there were initial declines with a further stalling.