This paper presents an empirical analysis of fertility in the developing world, demonstrating that fertility reductions can be attributed to a number of important explanatory variables, particularly those related to health status, gender inequalities in literacy, and household income. The paper adds to the expansive literature on fertility by exploring whether differing levels of success in effecting the demographic transition can be attributed to these explanatory variables. The data used are from 57 developing nations and cover the time period 1975-2014.