M'sian Fertility Rate Drops From 3.4 To 2.8 In 10 Years

PETALING JAYA, Sept 5 (Bernama) -- A survey conducted by the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN) shows that the total fertility rate in Malaysia has declined from 3.4 in 1994 to 2.8 in 2004.
Women, Family and Community Development Deputy Minister Datuk G. Palanivel said the decline could be expected to continue if the country kept moving towards an industrialised society as many population theorists had expounded that an educated public was more discerning about family formation and size.
"However, considering the contraceptive prevalence rate in Malaysia has plateaued at around 50 per cent since the last two decades, we are at a crossroad in view of the declining total fertility rate," he said when addressing the National Population Conference here, Tuesday.
He said that a low fertility would bring about changes in the population structure which would result in among others an ageing of the population and feminisation of elderly population.
Based on the Population Strategic Plan Studies conducted in 1992, the government realised that it was the quality and not the quantity of the population that mattered, he said.
"Now, after almost fifteen years later, this has to be reviewed," he said and added that the ministry was currently studying the best options for population policies for the country.
"Should we sustain population growth as it is now at 2.6 per cent or should we intervene strongly to decrease it further? No doubt future population growth has to be in balance with resources and sustainable development," he said.
Currently, the country's population is estimated to be almost 27 million.
Meanwhile, the board in its January "POP Info Malaysia" newsletter said that late marriages among better educated women was one of the reasons the fertility rate in the country had dropped.
It said that almost 13 per cent of women with tertiary education in their 30s had never been married.
"With better education, delayed and non-marriage will become more prevalent. Marriage postponement shortens childbearing span and will result in a further fertility decline," it said.
LPPKN said the fertility level in the country had declined for all age groups and was relatively more pronounced among the younger and older age groups.
"This indicates that women are entering childbearing later and are stopping at a younger age," it said.
It also said that the fertility level was influenced by a host of socio-economic variables and based on the Fourth Malaysian Population and Family Survey 2004, showed that the number of children being born varied widely according to educational level, whereby women with no schooling having almost twice as many children as those with tertiary education.
It said with socio-economic development, the fertility level has been falling more rapidly than the "recommended" rate of decline than as envisaged in the country's population policy launched in 1994.
The country's population policy targets a population size of 70 million by the year 2100 and the fertility rate to decline gradually by 0.1 every five years.