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editorial
. 2022 Jan 25;37(4):629–638. doi: 10.1093/humrep/deac011

Figure 2.

Figure 2.

Drivers of fertility decline. (A) The global fall in total fertility rate (TFR) is not related to food availability; as TFR declines, the food production index (covers all food crops that are considered edible and that contain nutrients) actually increases. Source: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/AG.PRD.FOOD.XD (16 December 2020, date last accessed). (B) The fall in TFR across the globe is associated with an increase in global prosperity, measured in terms of gross domestic product (GDP). (C) As GDP increases, so we see a steady decline in global infant mortality rates. (D) A plot of GDP against infant mortality for Burkina Faso reveals a rapid reduction in mortality rates for just a small increase in GDP. (E) In parallel with the reduction in infant/childhood mortality, the demographic transition is also associated with an increase in life expectancy. (F) In concert with increased prosperity, women gain greater access to education such that global literacy rates in men and women have now almost reached parity. For all panels, GDP is measured in constant 2010 $US; data from the World Bank Open Data (https://data.worldbank.org). CC BY-4.0 (15 September 2021, date last accessed).