Thursday, May 21, 2009

Brazil: Football! Music! and Soap Operas?

An excerpt from what I read just now about Brazil:
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What is the demographic outlook?

Brazil's population is projected to grow to 216 million people by 2030 — but then fall slightly to 215 million people by 2050.

(Population Reference Bureau)

Why is that?

Brazil has a fertility rate of 1.9 children per woman (as of 2007) — below the rate of 2.1 children per woman needed to sustain the current population.

(Population Reference Bureau)

Was that always the case?

Back in 1960, Brazil’s fertility rate stood at 6.3 children per woman.

(New York Times)

Is there an explanation?

Brazil’s most popular prime-time soap operas revolve around small and stable middle-class families that are much smaller than traditional Brazilian families — and wherever the soaps air, the fertility rate for women drops significantly.

(Bureau of Economic Analysis for Development)

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The last bit is really interesting. Read more about Brazil if you are keen.

1 comment:

niki said...

@Tzar- I was following a documentary on BBC recently, the best part about Brazil is their Energy Independence dude...India should learn from Brazil...the amt of E-85 they produce is insane!