Abstract
The rate of growth of the population of Latin America is higher than that of any other continent and almost certainly higher than in any major region in the world today. This rapid growth has resulted primarily from a substantial decline in mortality, reinforced by immigration, superimposed on a high level of human fertility. The average annual birth rate in Latin America during the period 1950-55 was about 42 per 1,000 population, compared with 25 in the United States, and 28 in Canada, over the same period. This paper deals with levels and trends of human fertility in Latin America, differential fertility, social and psychological factors associated with prevailing patterns of reproduc tion, the implication of these patterns for future population growth, and the prospects for a decline in fertility in the near future.
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