Fertility Decline in the Muslim World: A Veritable Sea-Change, Still Curiously Unnoticed

29 Pages Posted: 16 Mar 2012

See all articles by Nicholas Eberstadt

Nicholas Eberstadt

American Enterprise Institute (AEI)

Apoorva Shah

American Enterprise Institute (AEI)

Date Written: December 7, 2011

Abstract

There remains a widely perceived notion that ― Muslim societies are especially resistant to embarking upon the path of demographic and familial change that has transformed population profiles in Europe, North America, and other more developed areas. In reality, however, fertility levels are falling dramatically for countries and sub-national populations throughout the Ummah — and traditional marriage patterns and living arrangements are undergoing tremendous change. This paper will highlight some of these changes, examine some of their correlates and possible determinants, and speculate about some of their implications.

Keywords: Ummah, fertility decline, sub-replacement fertility, Middle East, family planning, wanted fertility, population aging

JEL Classification: I15, J11, J13, J14, J21, N33

Suggested Citation

Eberstadt, Nicholas and Shah, Apoorva, Fertility Decline in the Muslim World: A Veritable Sea-Change, Still Curiously Unnoticed (December 7, 2011). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2022408 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2022408

Nicholas Eberstadt (Contact Author)

American Enterprise Institute (AEI) ( email )

1150 17th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20036
United States

Apoorva Shah

American Enterprise Institute (AEI) ( email )

1150 17th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20036
United States
2028625945 (Phone)

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