Education, wealth likely to explain fertility rates better than religion

Income levels and the number of years a person spends in school are inversely related to the size of families they decide to raise.

The total fertility rate, or the average number of children that women give birth to in their lifetime, is lower at higher levels of wealth and education.

Research also suggests that the role of religion may be more limited when compared to other factors.

The total fertility rate is 1.6 for the wealthiest 20 per cent of the people, according to data collected in the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) conducted in