The effect on fertility of the 2003–2011 war in Iraq

This article provides the first detailed account of the impact of war on fertility rates in Iraq between 2003-2011. During this period, adolescent fertility rates increased dramatically while marital fertility rates among women continued to decline as poverty levels worsened throughout the war. 

The sharp rise in adolescent fertility is seen as a result of high rates of early marriage which increases as society becomes more conservative and insecure and girls face few alternatives to marriage and child bearing.