Fertility and Population Policy in Algeria: The Ironies of Planning

Zahia Ouadah-Bedidi, Université Paris-Diderot
Jacques Vallin, Institut National d'Études Démographiques (INED)

Over the last fifty years, the Algerian case shows that contradiction always existed between the fertility trends and governmental policies. Despite the demographic explosion of the 1960s (with a natural growth rate above 3%), Algerian authorities claimed a hostile attitude towards the very idea of family planning, considered as “imperialist”. Nevertheless, fertility began to decline as soon as the mid-1970s, well before the government attitude suddenly reversed and the first family planning program was introduced in 1983. From 8 children per woman in 1970 fertility felt to 5.3 in 1982. Indeed, since 1983 fertility decline accelerated to reach 2.2 in 2002, but data analysis revel a rather tedious relation with the implementation of the family planning program. Finally, in spite of a new reinforcement of this program, Algerian fertility suddenly rose up to 2.9 in 2010. A new evidence that family planning program is not enough to achieve fertility goals.