A Multivariate Analysis of Cumulative Fertility Using Secondary Data
Abu Jafar Mohammad Sufian

Abstract
This paper attempts to identify the socioeconomic determinants of cumulative fertility – number of children ever born to women at the end of their reproductive period - by analyzing national level secondary data, using a multivariate technique of analysis. The data on the number of children and seven explanatory variables have been taken from the following sources: World Population Data Sheet, 2011 (Population Reference Bureau, 2011), World Fertility Data, 2012 (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division 2013), and Adult Literacy Rate, Female by Country (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Institute for Statistics, 2003-2013).
The multiple regression technique has been used to analyze the data. An investigation of the variance inflation factors revealed that there is no threat of multicollinearity. The analysis shows that the largest contribution for lowering the cumulative fertility is the gross national income per capita, followed by the percentage of currently married or in-union women using modern contraceptive methods, female literacy rate, and poverty, in that order. Policy implications have been discussed.

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