The Demography of Two West African (Gambian) Villages, 1951–75

Abstract

SummaryFrom a longitudinal study over 25 years (1951–75) of two adjacent Gambian villages, the data allow estimates of population growth, birth rates, age-specific mortality, female fertility, and infertility rates in the two sexes. Such intensive but small scale local inquiries provide valuable information on topics not covered in official published statistics, and also data from which the reliability of some census details can be estimated. There are many similarities but also differences between the two villages. Population growth rate was 1·1% per annum for Keneba and 2·2% for Manduar. Crude death rates averaged 36·7 per thousand for Keneba and 24·7 for Manduar and showed little difference between the sexes. For Keneba and Manduar respectively stillbirth rates were 63·9 and 88·6, first week mortality 49·2 and 44·9 and neonatal mortality 85·2 and 49·6 per thousand live births. In Keneba, where survival to age 5 years averaged 50%, young child mortality was significantly higher than in Manduar but mortality at older ages was not. Season profoundly affected child mortality: about 45% of all deaths under 15 years occurred in the late wet season, August–October. Maternal mortality in Keneba was 10·5 and in Manduar 9·5 per thousand. Crude birth rates averaged 58·4 per thousand for Keneba and 49·0 for Manduar, rates per thousand women aged 15·44 years averaging 248·5 and 215·3 respectively.In both villages mean birth interval increased progressively with the survival of the preceding child. In Keneba the interval increased from about 16 months when the first of the two children was stillborn to nearly 37 months when the first child survived to 2 years. In Manduar the corresponding values were 19 and 36 months. Analyses of obstetric histories indicated that total fertility was of the order of 7·5 live births per woman in Keneba and 6·4 in Manduar. Estimates of primary infertility for females were 3·6% in Keneba and 5·6% in Manduar, and for males 3·1% and 1·9%. Estimates of secondary infertility in females were 13% in Keneba and 19% in Manduar.