Prospect of a decline in fertility in sub-saharan Africa: a review of the recent debate

A key question in population control is whether high fertility is culturally mandatory or the result of insufficient availability of family planning services. This question is discussed using Kenya, one of the few African countries where fertility has gone down. Results are inconclusive. While the Kenyan situation may provide some reason for confidence in the future of population control, most Kenyan women have more than five children during their lives. Whether Kenyan women will lower their fertility when children provide security during old age is an open question.