World Population Day, 2019
This year’s theme of World Population Day was the goals of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development
11 July 1987, which was the day when the world’s population reached 5 billion, was accepted as the “World Population Day” by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 1989. On this special day, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) selects a theme which addresses important issues of the population and works to raise awareness on this theme.
This year, UNFPA decided to emphasize on the “necessity of the reproductive health, reproductive rights and gender equality for the achievement of sustainable development” which was adopted by 179 governments on 1994 International Conference on Population and Development and to focus on the fulfilment of commitments made at this conference for the World Population Day.
In this context, basic information on birth, marriage and gender statistics are presented in this press release.
Number of live births was 1 million 248 thousand 847
While the number of live births was 1 million 295 thousand 784 in 2017, it became 1 million 248 thousand 847 in 2018. As 51.3% of live born babies were boys, 48.7% of them were girls. While 17.7% of the babies were born in İstanbul, the percentage was 5.8% for Ankara, 5% for Şanlıurfa and 4.1% for İzmir.
Total fertility rate was 1.99 children
Total fertility is the mean number of children that a woman could have during her reproductive period which is 15-49 age group. The total fertility rate at national level, which was 4.33 children in the mid-1970s, tended to decline over the years and became 1.99 children in 2018. This showed that fertility remained below the population’s replacement level of 2.10.
Besides, the current downward trend in fertility rates will continue in the future and it is expected to be 1.85 by the year 2050 according to the population projections produced by Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) for the period of 2018-2080.
The world’s fertility rate, which was 4.8 in 1969, decreased to 2.5 today. The total fertility rate for the mentioned period decreased from 2.3 to 1.7 in developed countries and from 6.8 to 3.9 in less developed countries.
Total fertility rate, 2001-2018
The highest total fertility rate was in Şanlıurfa with 4.13 children
In 2018, the province having the highest total fertility rate was Şanlıurfa with 4.13 children. This province was followed by Şırnak with 3.60 children, Ağrı with 3.26 children and Muş with 3.23 children. The province having the lowest total fertility rate was Gümüşhane with 1.30 children. This province was followed by Kütahya, Zonguldak and Edirne with 1.43 children.
The highest age specific fertility rate was in 25-29 age group
Age specific fertility rate is defined as the average number of live births per thousand women in a certain age group.
When the fertility rate was analysed by age group, it was seen that the highest age specific fertility rate was in 25-29 age group. While the age specific fertility rate in this age group was 130 per thousand in 2013, this rate was 128 per thousand in 2018. In other words, the number of live births was 128 per thousand women in 25-29 age group in 2018.
According to the estimates made by United Nations (UN) for the 1950-2020 period, the highest age-specific fertility rate worldwide was 258 per thousand for 25-29 age group in the 1965-1970 period. On the other hand, it is estimated that the highest age-specific fertility rate will be 141 per thousand for the 25-29 age group in the period 2015-2020.
Adolescent fertility rate decreased
Adolescent fertility rate is defined as the average number of live births per thousand women in 15-19 age group. Since teenage mothers are more likely to experience adverse pregnancy outcomes and maternity-related mortality than more mature women, adolescent fertility is a very important issue for maternal and child health care. While the adolescent fertility rate was 29 per thousand in 2013, this rate decreased to 19 per thousand in 2018. In other words, the number of live births was 19 per thousand women in 15-19 age group in 2018.
According to the estimations made by the UN for the 1950-2020 period, it is estimated that the adolescent fertility rate worldwide, which was 80 per thousand in the 1965-1970 period, will be 43 per thousand in the 2015-2020 period.
Adolescent fertility rate, 2001-2018
Ağrı was the province with the highest adolescent fertility rate
In 2018, the province with the highest adolescent fertility rate was Ağrı with 57 per thousand. This province was followed by Muş with 54 per thousand, Şanlıurfa with 46 per thousand and Kilis with 42 per thousand. The province with the lowest adolescent fertility rate was Gümüşhane with 4 per thousand. This province was followed by Rize and Trabzon with 5 per thousand, Artvin and Bayburt with 6 per thousand.
1.6% of women who gave birth delivered multiple births last year
According to the data obtained from administrative records, 1.6% of women who gave birth in 2018 delivered multiple births, 97.6% of these women gave twin births, 2.3% gave triplet births, and 0.1% gave quadruplet and more births.
Last year 36.9% of the women who gave birth had their first birth
When the order of the births in 2018 was analysed, it was seen that 36.9% of these births were the first, 32.1% were the second, 18.3% were the third, and 12.6% were the fourth and above births.
Proportions of mother’s birth order by years, 2014-2018
Mother’s mean age at birth was 28.9
In Turkey, the average age of women who gave birth was 28.9 in 2018, while it was 28.7 in 2017. According to the estimates made by the UN for the 1950-2020 period, the mother’s mean age at birth worldwide, which was 29 in the period 1965-1970, is estimated to be 28.1 in the period 2015-2020.
Mother’s mean age at birth, 2001-2018
On the other hand, mother’s mean age at first birth was 26.2 in 2018, while it was 26 in 2017. Mother’s age at first birth is an important determinant of the overall level of fertility since early childbearing generally leads to a larger family size compared to later onset of childbearing.
32.5% of women who gave birth last year were primary education graduates
When the educational level of the women who gave birth in 2018 was analysed, it was seen that women graduated from primary education/ junior high school or equivalent education took the first place with 32.5%. It was followed by higher education graduates with 23.8%, high school or equivalent education graduates with 19.8%, primary school graduates with 10.3%, literate women without a diploma with 8.3% and illiterate women with 2.6%.
57.8% of women graduated from higher education had their first birth
It was seen that 57.8% of the higher education graduates who gave birth last year had their first, 34.2% had their second and 7% had their third birth. 40.7% of high school or equivalent education graduates had their first, 36.2% had their second and 17.7% had their third birth.
Maternal mortality ratio decreased to 14.6 per hundred thousand
Maternal mortality ratio is defined as the number of maternal deaths per hundred thousand live births in a year. Maternal death is the death of a woman from the beginning of pregnancy to the 42nd day after birth, by any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management but not from accidental or incidental causes.
Maternal mortality ratio, which was 16.4 per hundred thousand live births in 2010, has tended to decrease over the years and declined to 14.6 per hundred thousand in 2017. In 2015, this ratio was 216 per hundred thousand in the world.
Maternal mortality ratio, 2010-2017
The proportion of legal child marriages for girls declined
According to the marriage statistics, while the proportion of legal child marriages for girls aged 16-17 within the total legal marriages was 5.8% in 2014, it declined to 3.8% in 2018.
In province-based analyses, the province with the highest proportion of child marriages for girls was Ağrı with 14.8% in 2018. This province was followed by Muş with 14.1% and Bitlis with 12.5%. The three provinces with the lowest proportion of child marriages for girls within total marriages were Bolu with 0.7%, Trabzon and Artvin with 0.9%, respectively.
Mean age at first marriage for females increased
The age at first marriage has a major impact on childbearing because women who marry early will have, on average, a longer period of exposure to pregnancy, which in turn often leads to a higher number of lifetime births. Mean age at first marriage for females was 24.2 in 2014 and increased to 24.8 in 2018.
When the mean age at first marriage was analysed among the provinces, it was seen that Tunceli was the province with the highest mean age at first marriage with 27.6. Tunceli was followed by Rize with 26.4 and Artvin with 26.2. The provinces with the lowest mean age at first marriage were Ağrı with 21.9, Muş with 22.2 and Kilis with 22.5.
5.6% of married women in the 20-24 age group were married before age of 18
“Proportion of individuals aged between 20-24 and married before age 18” is one of the indicators covered in “UN 52 Minimum Set of Gender Indicators” which were adopted by the UN Statistical Commission in 2013. In Turkey, this indicator was 5.6% for women while it was 0.2% for men in 2018.
32% of individuals stated the desired ideal number of children as two
According to the results of Family Structure Survey, 2016, when the desired ideal number of children under appropriate conditions was analysed, the most desired ideal number of children was two with 32%. In Turkey, 31.4% of individuals desired to have three children, 18% of individuals desired to have four children, 14.9% of individuals desired to have five and more children, when the conditions are appropriate. On the other hand, 3.4% of individuals desired to have one child and 0.3% of individuals stated that they did not desire any children.
As the desired number of children under appropriate conditions was analysed by sex, the most desired number of children for women was two with 33.1% while it was three for men with 31.6%.
31.9% of married individuals stated the ideal number of children as three
According to the results of Family Structure Survey, 2016, when the desired ideal number of children under appropriate conditions was analysed by marital status, the most desired ideal number of children under appropriate conditions was two with 46.7% for individuals who never married. When the conditions are appropriate, the most desired ideal number of children was three for married individuals with 31.9%, two for divorced individuals with 44.2% and three for widowed individuals with 28.4%.
33.2% of primary school graduates stated the ideal number of children as three
According to the results of Family Structure Survey, 2016, when the desired ideal number of children under appropriate conditions was analysed by educational status, the most desired ideal number of children was five and more children with 31.6% for individuals who did not complete any school, and it was three children for primary school graduates with 33.2%. It was seen that the desired ideal number of children was two for primary education graduates with 39.5%, high school graduates with 40.4% and higher education graduates with 40.5%.
The ratio of women in management positions was 16.3%
According to the results of the household labour force survey, the ratio of women in senior and middle management positions in companies was 14.4% in 2012 and 16.3% in 2018.
The next release on this subject will be on July, 2020.
Source: TÜİK
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