Potential for further fertility decline in Bangladesh and the implications for the National Family Planning Program

Potential for further fertility decline in Bangladesh and the implications for the National Family Planning Program
Abstract: Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world and is vulnerable to population pressures and climate change (United Nations [UN], 2022). The UN projects an increase from Bangladesh’s 2019 population of 163 million to 200 million by 2050; however, this projection assumes that fertility will decline to 1.7 births per woman by 2030 (UN, 2022). In its fourth Health, Population, and Nutrition Sector Program (HPNSP), the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) set a goal to achieve a total fertility rate (TFR) of 2.0 by 2022 (MOHFW, 2017), below the replacement TFR of 2.1. The HPNSP also aimed for a contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) among married women of 75 percent in 2022 to reach the TFR goal (MOHFW, 2017). The TFR in Bangladesh was 2.3 and the CPR among married women was 62 percent according to the 2017/18 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) (National Institute of Population Research and Training [NIPORT] & ICF, 2020). Fertility will need to decline to well below replacement levels to align with UN projections and national health goals. What are the prospects for such a decline in Bangladesh? This brief shares more.
Shortname: FS-22-587-D4I
Author(s): Data for Impact
Year: 2022
Language: English
Region(s): BANGLADESH