Datasource:
Demographic and Health Survey
Period:
December, 2007 to April, 2008
Analysis of the 2007-08 RIDHS data indicates that the fertility rate for Rwandan women remains high. The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) is 5.5 children per woman, 4.7 per woman in urban area and 5.7 per woman in rural area.
However, when these results are compared with those from previous RDHS surveys in Rwanda, there is a trend toward a decline in fertility. The mean number of children per woman decreased from 6.2 in 1992 to 5.8 in 2000, and finally to 5.5 in 2007-08. The survey results show that the mean number of children per woman drops as women’s level of education increases and household wealth increases.
Among the provinces, the East and West provinces show higher fertility rates than other provinces.
In Rwanda breast feeding is nearly universal, with 98 percent of all children born in the five years preceding the survey having been breastfed. However, among those who were ever breastfed, only 68 percent began breast feeding within one hour of birth, and 21 percent were given supplementary food (prelacteal feed) before their first breastfeeding.
In the area of delivery care, about one in two Rwandan women gave birth at home (49 percent), and 12 percent gave birth with no professional assistance during delivery. However, 40 percent of women gave birth with the assistance of a nurse or mid wife. Among the most educated women and those in the highest (richest) wealth quintile, this proportion reached 59 and 52 percent, respectively.