The rate of population growth has edged downward from 2.5 per cent to around 2.2 per cent while the Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) has risen from 8 per cent to 45 per cent during the last 18 years, said a World Bank report. The draft report "Bangladesh, country assistance review" released recently, said the fertility has also declined from around 7 per cent to 3.3 per cent during the same (1975 to 1993).