Bangladesh 2014

Table 5.4 Children ever born and living
Percent distribution of all women and currently married women age 15-49 by number of children ever born, mean number of children ever born and mean
number of living children, according to age group, Bangladesh 2014
Number of children ever born
Age 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10+
ALL WOMEN
Total
Number of
women
Mean
number of
children
ever born
Mean
number of
living
children
15-19 75.4 22.1 2.3 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0 4,485 0.27 0.26
20-24 27.5 40.9 25.4 5.2 0.9 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0 3,816 1.11 1.06
25-29 8.9 21.4 41.5 19.6 6.5 1.6 0.5 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 100.0 3,534 2.01 1.87
30-34 3.3 9.1 32.3 30.5 14.9 6.5 2.2 0.8 0.2 0.1 0.0 100.0 3,084 2.79 2.59
35-39 2.0 7.0 25.9 27.9 17.7 9.9 6.2 2.0 0.8 0.4 0.2 100.0 2,334 3.26 2.96
40-44 2.4 6.3 17.9 25.2 19.3 13.8 8.0 4.2 1.7 0.7 0.5 100.0 2,105 3.66 3.23
45-49 1.6 4.1 13.2 21.0 20.3 18.4 10.7 5.9 2.3 1.4 1.1 100.0 1,769 4.15 3.56
Total 23.5 18.7 22.5 16.1 9.0 5.2 2.8 1.3 0.5 0.3 0.2 100.0 21,127 2.08 1.89
CURRENTLY MARRIED WOMEN
15-19 45.5 49.0 5.1 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0 1,984 0.60 0.58
20-24 13.8 48.3 30.4 6.3 1.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0 3,166 1.33 1.26
25-29 4.6 22.3 42.8 20.9 7.0 1.6 0.5 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 100.0 3,249 2.11 1.97
30-34 2.0 8.2 33.0 31.3 15.1 6.8 2.3 0.9 0.2 0.1 0.0 100.0 2,919 2.86 2.65
35-39 0.9 5.7 25.7 28.6 18.6 10.3 6.6 2.1 0.8 0.5 0.2 100.0 2,153 3.36 3.05
40-44 1.6 5.1 17.6 25.8 19.9 14.2 8.4 4.6 1.5 0.8 0.5 100.0 1,874 3.76 3.33
45-49 1.2 3.6 12.7 21.1 20.7 18.7 11.1 6.1 2.2 1.5 1.2 100.0 1,512 4.21 3.63
Total 9.6 22.2 26.7 19.1 10.6 6.1 3.3 1.5 0.5 0.3 0.2 100.0 16,858 2.45 2.23
Currently married women age 45-49 have given birth to an average of 4.2 children, of whom 3.6
have survived. Among all women age 15-49, the average number of children who have died per woman is
0.19. Among currently married women, it is 0.22; that is, 9 percent of children born to currently married
women have died. The percentage of children who have died increases with women’s age. Among currently
married women, for example, the proportion of children ever born who have died increases from 5 percent
for women age 20-24 to 14 percent for women age 45-49. The proportion of children for currently married
women age 20-24 and 45-49 who have died slightly decreases in the last three years.
Nearly one-quarter (24 percent) of all women age 15-49 have never given birth. This proportion is
highest among women age 15-19, as 75 percent of women in this age group have never given birth. However,
this proportion declines to 28 percent among women age 20-24 and rapidly decreases further for older
women. The percentage of women who have never given birth is quite low (less than 2.5 percent) among all
women age 35-44, indicating that childbearing among Bangladeshi women is nearly universal.
Overall, 10 percent of currently married women age 15-49 have never given birth. The difference
in the mean number of children ever born between all women and currently married women is due to the
substantial proportion of young and unmarried women in the former category.
The percentage of women in their forties who have never had children is an indicator of the level of
primary infertility—that is, the proportion of women who are unable to bear children at all. Since voluntary
childlessness is rare in Bangladesh, it is likely that married women with no births are unable to have children.
The 2014 BDHS results suggest that primary infertility is low in Bangladesh, at slightly more than 2 percent.
This estimate does not include secondary infertility, that is, women who may have had one or more births
but who are unable to have additional children.
5.5 BIRTH INTERVALS
Birth interval is the length of time between two successive live births. Examination of birth intervals
provides insight into birth spacing patterns and, subsequently, maternal, infant, and childhood mortality.
Short birth intervals are associated with an increased risk of death for mother and child. Studies have shown
that children born less than 24 months after a previous sibling risk poor health as well. Short birth intervals
also threaten maternal health.
56 • Fertility