Adolescent Fertility in India: Levels, Differentials and Determinants

K. Anilkumar, Tata Institute of Social Sciences

This paper examines the fertility pattern, the differentials and the factors associated with fertility among married adolescents in India and its states. Information from Sample Registration System and the NFHS 2 data are utilized for the purpose; the paper uses bi-variate and multi-variate analyzes for this purpose. Adolescent fertility in India has declined by about 39 percent during 1971-99; among the states, it ranges from 21 in Goa to 142 in Madhya Pradesh. Contribution of 15-19 age group to total fertility has declined only marginally during the past three decades. The high share of adolescent fertility in some of the states having relatively low fertility is disturbing. The significance of age at marriage, place of residence, education, standard of living, decision making power, experience of domestic violence and use of contraception is established through the multi-variate analysis. The paper subsequently discusses the implications of these and other findings.