According to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) report Births: Preliminary Data for 2005, out-of-wedlock births are up, but the increase was driven by unmarried women in their 20’s and not teen mothers (CNN.com).

The current issue of Entre Nous: The European Magazine for Sexual and Reproductive Health (published by the World Health Organization) focuses on low fertility in Europe and policy-related issues.

Despite ongoing violence, Iraq’s birth rate has increased to well above the average for the Middle East (Cleveland Plain Dealer).

An article in The Guardian looks at how explosive population growth in poor countries that could doom poverty reduction efforts. The problem is particularly bad in sub-Saharan Africa, where fertility rates have not declined as they have in other developing countries.

The PRI Data Archive has recently acquired the 2003 Natality Data Files on CD-ROM - both SETS and ASCII versions. These CDs are available for check-out from the PRI Library and Data Archive by registered users.

The Population Reference Bureau has released the 2006 edition of its World Population Data Sheet. The Data Sheet can be downloaded in PDF format, and an HIV/AIDS policy brief, webcast, slide presentation, and news release are also available. The Data Sheet shows how migration is reshaping the US and the world.

Most Zimbabweans are choosing to have two to three children, owing to social and economic factors as well as increasing empowerment of girls, according to the Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey (The Herald (Harare) via allAfrica.com, July 12, 2006).

A related story looks at the role of women’s education in reducing fertility (The Herald (Harare) via allAfrica.com, July 12, 2006).

New reports from MEASURE DHS:

• Uganda 2004-05 AIS Final Report, 2006 (HIV/AIDS Sero-Behavioural Survey)
• Egypt 2005 Final Report (DHS)

America’s Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being is an annual publication by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics. Among the highlights from the 2006 brief: the adolescent birth rate has fallen to a record low and children’s second-hand smoke exposure has dropped.

A survey of 17,500 women in 10 countries found that most are unaware of basic facts about their own fertility and reproductive health. The survey was organized by the American Fertility Association (AFA) and conducted in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Uganda, Germany, Israel, The Netherlands, Slovak Republic, Argentina, Turkey, and Belgium. Results were presented at the European Society of Human Reproduction & Embryology (ESHRE) conference in Prague. For more, see the AFA press release.