Low fertility levels and reproductive health in Latin America: perspectives on new unmet needs

Laura R. Wong, Centro de Desenvolvimento e Planejamento Regional (CEDEPLAR)

One of the demographic challenges related to the fast fertility decline and the great age structural transition that Latin America is going through, is the absolute size diminution of new cohorts, that, we know, will destabilize intergenerational relations in the short, medium and long run. We present most recent evidence of the fast fertility decline experienced throughout the continent that will end up very soon well below replacement level for almost all Latin American countries. Outliers will be singled out to evaluate its relevance in the whole reproductive process in order to discuss: (a) new demands on reproductive health, particularly, implementation of reproductive preferences and (b) impact of different country’s timing in fertility decline on the age structure. Due to peculiarity of fertility at younger ages, the paper will evaluate possibilities of further deep decline of the TFR due to tempo effects if teenager fertility manage to fall.