FERTILITY, MARRIAGE AGE, AND CONTRACEPTIVE USE IN CENTRAL ASIA AND NORTH AFRICA: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Abstract

This article aims to compare fertility, first age at marriage, family planning, and contraceptive use in Central Asia and North Africa. Factors such as education level, access to contraceptives, religious beliefs, and demand for family planning were analyzed. Rural areas have lower fertility rates than urban areas. In Egypt, the age of first marriage differs from rural to urban areas. Despite the quality of life in urban areas, the rate of first marriage is higher than in rural areas. The results also revealed that Morocco and Kyrgyzstan vary in fertility, Morocco has the highest age at first marriage and Kyrgyzstan has the lowest. The general fertility rate in Tunisia is the lowest in all countries indicating successful government efforts to reduce fertility. However, Kyrgyzstan has the highest fertility rate, with a decrease from 3.9 children per woman in 2011 to 3.05 in 2020. Hence, substantial investigations are needed due to the increase in population of some countries taking into consideration all factors.