6 Nations with Catholic Percentages Higher than 65%
Italy
% of Catholics- 80%
Birth Rate- 8.94 births/1,000 population
Death Rate- 10.01 deaths.1,000 population
Infant Mortality Rate- 3.33 deaths/1,000 population
Average Lifespan- 81.95 years
Average Income- $24,216
Average Educational Level- 16 years
Unemployment- 10.6%
Mexico
% of Catholics- 82.7%
Birth Rate- 18.61 births/1,000 population
Death Rate- 4.94 deaths/1,000 population
Infant Mortality Rate- 16.26 deaths/1,000 live births
Average Lifespan- 76.96 years
Average Income- $12,732
Average Educational Level- 14 years
Unemployment- 9.8%
Spain
% of Catholics- 94%
Birth Rate- 10.14 births/1,000 population
Death Rate- 8.94 deaths/1,000 population
Infant Mortality Rate- 3.35 deaths/1,000 live births
Average Lifespan- 81.37 years
Average Income- $22,847
Average Educational Level- 17 years
Unemployment- 25.1%
France
% of Catholics- 83-88%
Birth Rate- 12.6 births/1,000 population
Death Rate- 8.96 deaths/1,000 population
Infant Mortality Rate- 3.34 deaths/1,000 live births
Average Lifespan- 81.56 years
Average Income- $36,300
Average Educational Level- 16 years
Unemployment- 10.3%
United Kingdom
% of Catholics- 71.6%
Birth Rate- 12.26 births/1,000 population
Death Rate- 9.33 deaths/1,000 population
Infant Mortality Rate- 4.5 deaths/1,000 live births
Average Lifespan- 80.29 years
Average Income- $37,500
Average Educational Level- 17 years
Unemployment- 8%
Brazil
% of Catholics- 73.6%
Birth Rate- 14.97 births/1,000 population
Death Rate- 6.51 deaths/1,000 population
Infant Mortality Rate- 19.83 deaths/1,000 live births
Average Lifespan- 73.02 years
Average Income- $12,100
Average Educational Level- 14 years
Unemployment- 5.5%
3 Nations with Catholic Percentages Lower than 5%
Bangladesh
% of Catholics- <0.9%
Birth Rate- 22.07 births/1,000 population
Death Rate- 5.67 deaths/1,000 population
Infant Mortality Rate- 47.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Average Lifespan- 70.36 years
Average Income- $2,100
Average Educational Level- 8 years
Unemployment- 5%
Turkey
% of Catholics- <0.2%
Birth Rate- 17.22 births/1,000 population
Death Rate- 6.11 deaths/1,000 population
Infant Mortality Rate- 22.23 deaths/1,000 live births
Average Lifespan- 73.03 years
Average Income- $15,200
Average Educational Level- 14 years
Unemployment- 9.2%
Singapore
% of Catholics- 4.8%
Birth Rate- 7.91 births/1,000 population
Death Rate- 3.41 deaths/1,000 population
Infant Mortality Rate- 2.59 deaths/1,000 live births
Average Lifespan- 84.07 years
Average Income- $61,400
Average Educational Level- N/A
Unemployment- 1.9%
Conclusion
The aim of gathering this data in the first place was to confirm a correlation between the contraceptive prohibition imposed by the Catholic Papal Encyclical, Casti Connubii, and Catholic countries’ birth rates. After comparing various sets of data from 9 different countries (6 countries with >65% Catholic populations, and 3 with <5% Catholic populations), I concluded that Catholicism actually doesn’t play a role in creating higher birth rates.
First of all, the average global birth rate for 2012 was 19.15 births/1,000 population (CIA World Factbook). For simplicity’s sake, we will assume, in this case, that this number is a good measure of the “middle number” for birth rates across the world. The countries in my dataset disproved that Catholic countries have higher birth rates, because the only two countries of nine that surpassed the average global birth rate were Turkey and Bangladesh at 17.22 and 22.07 births / 1000 population, respectively.
Then what causes the disparities in birth rates across the different countries, if they are not attributed to religious beliefs? The biggest and most easily verifiable one is the correlation between infant mortality rates and birth rates. As discussed in class, less developed countries with lower incomes are more likely to have higher birth rates because the underdeveloped infrastructure and health care systems cause a proportionally higher infant mortality rate as well. In a developed country, many people would be content with having one child because the early survival of that child is basically guaranteed with advanced health care. In less fortunate parts of the world, parents must commit to having several children in their lifetime in order to ensure the survival of their lineage. This correlation can be shown in countries like Bangladesh and Spain. The non-Catholic country Bangladesh has a birth rate of 22.07 births/1,000 population, which is above the average. However, the country also has an infant mortality rate of 47.3 deaths/1,000 live births, which are a lot higher than the numbers of the Catholic country Spain, with birth rates of 10.14/1,000 and infant mortality rates of 8.94/1,000. The same relationship can be shown between developed, high-income countries like the UK, which has a high percentage of Catholics, and Singapore, which doesn’t. Both countries are well below the average birth rate, and although the UK’s rate is a little bit higher, it can be attributed to the equally higher infant mortality rate.
Tapping into the correlation between the birth rates and infant mortality rates is just the tip of the iceberg of the underlying issues that could exist in this complex problem. As I mentioned earlier, the causes could range anywhere from health care systems to public infrastructure, and from cultural traditions to education levels. We can see that the general trend is that – if the relationships between the varying factors had to be placed on a spectrum – high birth rates and infant mortality rates would be correlated with low education, low GDP per capita, low life expectancy, and urbanization to name a few.
All in all, although this is a very complex issue with no definite answer, we can see that the numbers show no tangible correlation between religious beliefs in Catholicism and high birth rates due to the prohibition of birth control methods.
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