Between 1949 and 1956, Japan cut its population growth rate from just under 2.2 percent to scarcely 1 percent. Neither politics nor cultural mores supported family planning efforts. There is a high level of knowledge of modern birth control methods in Mali, but a low level of use. Malian religious beliefs suggest that it's up to God when a child will be conceived. The average number of children born to each women has fallen dramatically, from 7 in 1980 to 4.5 today.
Some analysts say as many as half of all pregnancies end in abortion.
The brutal Ceaucescu regime attempted to spur population growth by taxing childless women and criminalizing both abortion and contraception, creating an atmosphere of fear and humiliation. Abortion has now been made safe and legal up to the end of the 12th week of pregnancy. Many women remain afraid of contraception, however, because of the harsh propagandizing of the Ceaucescu regime. The average Soviet woman will terminate between five and seven pregnancies during her reproductive years. However, at that rate, Turkey will still double its population in just 32 years.