Fertility transition in Brazil across the 20th century – a regional perspective

Abstract The essence of fertility transition is the shift from intensive reproduction, when many children are born but few survive, to a new pattern where births are fewer and planned. Some articles discussing fertility transition in Brazil indicate that this process began in the second half of the 1960s, characterizing the Brazilian transition as late and fast. Despite this consensus, the objective of this paper was to identify “when” and “where” fertility transition started in Brazil, reassessing regional fertility transition. We used the method proposed by Frias and Oliveira (1991) applied to Brazilian census data (1940, 1950 and 1970 to 2010) Results indicate that fertility transition had been underway since, at least the 1930s in some of Brazil’s most important regions like Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and the far South. Because of this complex scenario, we argue that Brazil experienced two phases of fertility transition. The first one would have been long and slow, like the European fertility transition, pioneered by Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and the far South, whereas the second one was short and fast, in line with the fertility transition observed in countries where the process began later.