Poverty and Fertility: Panel Data Evidence from Jamaica

The determinants of fertility and poverty have been the focus of research both by economists and demographers. Jamaica is a middle income country with low rates of infant mortality and total fertility. Children account for 39 per cent of Jamaica’s population of 2.6 million. Although the overall poverty rate declined from 26 per cent in 1996 to 16.9 per cent in 1999, children account for 43 per cent of all poor, most of whom are in rural areas (UNICEF, 2005). Using a panel of households constructed from the Jamaican Survey of Living Conditions (JSCL), we examine the link between fertility and poverty in Jamaica.