Age pattern of fertility in the Sudan

Summary In the absence of reliable fertility statistics in the Sudan, estimates are based on census or sample survey data. Methods of analysis are applied which are suitable to the kind and quality of the collected information. This paper uses data provided by the World Fertility Survey of the Sudan. The number of children ever born tabulated by the duration of marriage is used to derive an estimate of the age pattern of fertility. The level of natural fertility is found to be low. However, the calculated crude birth rate is high and consistent with rates calculated by other methods using different data.