Fertility trends in Chile 1960-2003

The objective of this study is to characterize the fertility trends in Chile in recent decades, and identify the main factors underlying them. This study is based on an in-depth analysis of the available data: the population censuses of 1992 and 2002, socioeconomic household surveys, and data provided by the Civil Registry regarding demographic and vital statistics of the population. The fertility rate has significant effects on aspects such as economic growth, the demands on the education and health systems, the funding of pensions systems, etc. On a micro level, family characteristics depend crucially on the number of children per mother. A household with five children faces very different opportunities and restrictions to one with two children, holding other factors constant.