Other Countries

Iran

Filming in Iran for "No Vacancy" with distinguished professors and family planning administrators, mothers, fathers, and clerics, we discovered a remarkable and indisputable benchmark for population work throughout the world. In the short span of 15 years, Iran was able, non-coercively and within traditional Islamic tradition, to reduce family size from six to 2.1.

The details of that transformation coincide with the emergence of a health care system that works; where there is widespread literacy, and continuing education for both genders, even in the most remote parts of Baluchistan. There Behvarz Health Workers and midwives, in a successful collaboration of Rural Health Centers and the National Health Network, have ensured the success of the family planning programs.

This fertility revolution is ecological to the core, embraced by political, religious and civil leaders, to the extent that by 2001, in both rural and urban sectors, 95% of all residents had access to good healthcare throughout Iran.


Ministry of Health and Medical Education

Department of Demography, Faculty of Social Science,
University of Tehran

Family Planning Association of the Islamic Republic of Iran