Socio-Economic, Demographic and Biological Factors Affecting Fertility Differential in Kokrajhar and Udalguri Districts, Assam

Background: Fertility differentials arise due to socioeconomic status, education, ethnicity, religion, geographic location, and cultural beliefs. Fertility differentials are essential for understanding demographic trends and planning for resources, as they impact population growth, age structure, and economic development. In this study, different factors affecting fertility have been examined. Method: This study used primary data from the Kokrajhar and Udalguri districts, Assam. Multi-stage sampling techniques were employed to collect the required data for the sample survey. Thus, 400 households comprising married reproductive women are selected as respondents. Binary logistic regression was carried out to examine the effect of different factors on fertility. Results: The results revealed that the women's age and education, work status, religion, breastfeeding, and infant or child death were the most significant variables explaining the variation in fertility differential. This shows that the odds of having more than 2 children decrease as women are more engaged in work. Similarly, the odds of women with primary education were 2.744 times higher than those of women with secondary or higher education. Furthermore, it is found that fertility is higher among women who had the death experience of an infant or child compared to those women with no such experience. Conclusion: The study reveals differences in fertility rates across various groups, influenced by education levels, economic status, employability, and other factors. The findings may lead to suggestions for tailored family planning, education, and healthcare programs that consider the unique characteristics of Kokrajhar and Udalguri, aiming to balance population growth and improve family well-being in these areas. These insights help inform local policymakers and healthcare providers about the need for targeted interventions to manage population growth sustainably. However, this study presents only two districts' scenarios, thus, generalization at the national level may not be possible, and further analysis of the remaining districts is needed to capture the overall scenario of fertility differential in Assam and the national level.