Completing the fertility transition

The United Nations Population Division convened the Expert Group Meeting on Completing the Fertility Transition in March of 2002 to discuss guidelines for fertility change proposed by the Division for use in intermediate-fertility countries. The Population Division uses fertility guidelines to prepare the official United Nations population projections for every country and region in the world. Until recently, the guidelines stipulated that fertility in intermediate-fertility countries would not fall below replacement level by 2050. This has become less and less tenable as fertility in more and more countries, developing as well as developed, has fallen to and remained at, levels well below replacement. This report provides a summary record of that meeting including the agenda, organization of work, list of participants, list of documents, and summaries of the 30 papers presented and of the discussions that occurred during the meeting.