The total fertility rate in an economy is defined as:

Question

(a) the number of children born per 1000 people in the population in a year.
(b) the number of children born to a couple in their lifetime in a given population.
(c) the birth rate minus death rate.
(d) the average number of live births a woman would have by the end of her child-bearing age.

Answer 1

(d) the average number of live births a woman would have by the end of her child-bearing age.

Explanation:

The total fertility rate (TFR) is a demographic measure used to estimate the average number of children a woman would have over her lifetime if she were to experience the current age-specific fertility rates throughout her child-bearing years. It provides a summary measure of fertility, reflecting the number of births each woman in a hypothetical cohort will have, assuming no mortality.

• Option (a) refers to the crude birth rate, which is the number of live births per 1000 people in a population per year.

• Option (b) is incorrect because it talks about the number of children born to a couple rather than the average for all women.

• Option (c) describes the natural increase rate, which is the difference between the birth rate and the death rate.

Thus, the total fertility rate is accurately defined by option (d).