In 1991 Brazil's population reached 146.1 million, the sixth largest in the world after that of China, India, the United States, Indonesia, and the Russian Federation. The Brazilian population is predominately young with 62 percent under 29 years of age. Considering the high rate of population growth during the early and mid 20th century, Brazil has undergone a dramatic demographic transformation since 1970. This trend is largely due to a massive urbanization process and economic modernization. The fertility rate fell from 6.3 children per woman in the early 1960's to 4.4 in the 1980's, resulting in a decrease of the annual rate of population growth from 2.9 percent in the 1960's to less than 1.9 percent forecast for the 1990's.
