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Health > Fertility rate > Total > Births per woman: Countries Compared

chris.lockyer781

Author: chris.lockyer781

Total Fertility Rate is the measure of the number of children a woman is expected to have during her reproductive years, based on age specific fertility rates.

Computation:

Age Specific Fertility Rate = (annual number of births in a given age group /number of women in that age group) x 1000

Total Fertility Rate = (Sum of Age Specific Fertility Rates in all age groups x number of years in each age group)/1000

Description:

Total Fertility Rate is the most commonly used measure to compare fertility among different countries. It shows how many children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime. In developing countries, the issue of overpopulation is a serious problem, with TFR rates in some countries as high as 7. On the other hand, developed countries face different problems, as their total fertility rates continue to decline.

TFR and replacement rate are often compared against each other to predict trends in population growth of a given country. The replacement rate is the average number of children a woman should have to keep the population at equilibrium. In developed countries, the replacement rate is 2.1 while in developing nations, it is set much higher because of increased mortality rates.

The implications of a high or low TFR are important in both the developed and developing world. Concerns over falling birth rates are growing in many developed countries. Some of these countries include those in the Western Europe, Singapore and Japan, where the TFR is below the replacement rate. They face the problem of an increasingly aging population, with higher dependency ratios. This poses a serious risk on economic growth in the future.

One of the identified factors which contribute to declining TFR is the shifting views of women from their traditional roles. Women who have higher educational attainment and income tend to postpone marriage and child bearing and have less children compared to others.

In developing nations, fertility rate trends have shown a slight decreased over the past few decades. However, rapid population growth continues to be their concern. Lack of education and access to family planning methods are the main causes of overpopulation. Higher fertility rates increase the risk for death and disease in women. They also have fewer chances of finding work outside the home. Children who have more siblings find it harder to get out of poverty compared to those who have less.

Citations

1) Population Reference Bureau: Fertility rates in low birth-rate countries, 1996-2011. http://www.prb.org/Publications/Articles/2012/low-fertility-countries-tfr.aspx

2) Trends and Dertminants of Fertility Rates in OECD Countries: The Role of Policies. http://www.oecd.org/els/soc/35304751.pdf

3) UN News Centre: High birth rates hamper development in poorer countries, warns UN forum. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30365&Cr=population&Cr1=mdg#.UyE3jz_6Nsk

DEFINITION: Total fertility rate represents the number of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her childbearing years and bear children in accordance with current age-specific fertility rates.

CONTENTS

# COUNTRY AMOUNT DATE GRAPH HISTORY
1 Afghanistan 7.9 births per woman 1987
2 Niger 7.67 births per woman 2005
3 East Timor 7.47 births per woman 2005
4 Uganda 7.1 births per woman 2005
5 Guinea-Bissau 7.08 births per woman 2005
6 Burundi 6.8 births per woman 2005
7 Liberia 6.78 births per woman 2005
8 Mali 6.72 births per woman 2005
9 Democratic Republic of the Congo 6.7 births per woman 2005
10 Angola 6.56 births per woman 2005
11 Sierra Leone 6.48 births per woman 2005
12 Chad 6.3 births per woman 2005
13 Somalia 6.2 births per woman 2005
14 Burkina Faso 5.9 births per woman 2005
15 Equatorial Guinea 5.89 births per woman 2005
16 Yemen 5.87 births per woman 2005
17 Malawi 5.84 births per woman 2005
18 Rwanda 5.8 births per woman 2005
19 Marshall Islands 5.71 births per woman 1999
=20 Benin 5.6 births per woman 2005
=20 Guinea 5.6 births per woman 2005
=20 Congo, Republic of the 5.6 births per woman 2005
23 Mauritania 5.59 births per woman 2005
24 Nigeria 5.5 births per woman 2005
25 Zambia 5.4 births per woman 2005
26 Iraq 5.37 births per woman 1997
27 Ethiopia 5.32 births per woman 2005
28 Mozambique 5.3 births per woman 2005
29 Eritrea 5.24 births per woman 2005
failed states average (profile) 5.23 births per woman 2005
30 Tanzania 5.2 births per woman 2005
Sub-Saharan Africa average (profile) 5.12 births per woman 2005
31 Madagascar 5.04 births per woman 2005
32 Togo 5.03 births per woman 2005
33 Cameroon 5 births per woman 2004
34 Kenya 4.98 births per woman 2005
35 Senegal 4.9 births per woman 2005
36 Djibouti 4.74 births per woman 2005
37 Central African Republic 4.73 births per woman 2005
38 Cote d'Ivoire 4.7 births per woman 2005
39 Laos 4.5 births per woman 2005
Former French colonies average (profile) 4.49 births per woman 2005
40 The Gambia 4.4 births per woman 2005
41 Guatemala 4.33 births per woman 2005
42 Sudan 4.15 births per woman 2005
43 Pakistan 4.12 births per woman 2005
44 Ghana 4.06 births per woman 2005
=45 Solomon Islands 4 births per woman 2005
=45 Maldives 4 births per woman 2005
47 Samoa 3.98 births per woman 2004
48 Swaziland 3.91 births per woman 2005
49 Cambodia 3.89 births per woman 2005
50 Vanuatu 3.87 births per woman 2005
51 Saudi Arabia 3.83 births per woman 2005
Hot countries average (profile) 3.83 births per woman 2002
52 Papua New Guinea 3.8 births per woman 2005
=53 Comoros 3.76 births per woman 2005
=53 Sao Tome and Principe 3.76 births per woman 2005
55 Haiti 3.75 births per woman 2005
56 Gabon 3.73 births per woman 2005
Muslim countries average (profile) 3.68 births per woman 2005
57 Paraguay 3.67 births per woman 2005
58 Namibia 3.66 births per woman 2005
=59 Federated States of Micronesia 3.65 births per woman 2005
=59 Bolivia 3.65 births per woman 2005
61 Kiribati 3.6 births per woman 2002
=62 Cape Verde 3.53 births per woman 2005
=62 Tajikistan 3.53 births per woman 2005
64 Honduras 3.47 births per woman 2005
65 Nepal 3.46 births per woman 2005
66 Oman 3.44 births per woman 2005
Sparsely populated countries average (profile) 3.44 births per woman 2005
67 Lesotho 3.4 births per woman 2005
Religious countries average (profile) 3.39 births per woman 1997
Former British colonies average (profile) 3.38 births per woman 2005
OPEC countries average (profile) 3.36 births per woman 2005
68 Zimbabwe 3.34 births per woman 2005
69 Tonga 3.31 births per woman 2005
70 Jordan 3.29 births per woman 2005
71 Syria 3.24 births per woman 2005
72 Philippines 3.2 births per woman 2005
South Asia average (profile) 3.11 births per woman 2005
73 Egypt 3.1 births per woman 2005
74 Nicaragua 3.08 births per woman 2005
East Asia and Pacific average (profile) 3.04 births per woman 2002
75 Botswana 3.03 births per woman 2005
76 Grenada 3 births per woman 2002
Christian countries average (profile) 2.99 births per woman 2002
77 Bangladesh 2.98 births per woman 2005
78 Belize 2.97 births per woman 2005
Middle Eastern and North Africa average (profile) 2.92 births per woman 2005
79 Qatar 2.89 births per woman 2005
Former Spanish colonies average (profile) 2.89 births per woman 2005
Catholic countries average (profile) 2.88 births per woman 2002
South and Central Asia average (profile) 2.86 births per woman 2005
80 Libya 2.85 births per woman 2005
81 India 2.84 births per woman 2005
82 Israel 2.82 births per woman 2005
83 Fiji 2.79 births per woman 2005
=84 South Africa 2.78 births per woman 2005
=84 Guam 2.78 births per woman 2005
86 El Salvador 2.76 births per woman 2005
=87 Peru 2.74 births per woman 2005
=87 Malaysia 2.74 births per woman 2005
89 Dominican Republic 2.73 births per woman 2005
90 Ecuador 2.67 births per woman 2005
91 Venezuela 2.65 births per woman 2005
92 Panama 2.62 births per woman 2005
Latin America and Caribbean average (profile) 2.61 births per woman 2002
93 Turkmenistan 2.6 births per woman 2005
94 Suriname 2.51 births per woman 2005
95 Bhutan 2.5 births per woman 2005
96 Algeria 2.44 births per woman 2005
97 United Arab Emirates 2.43 births per woman 2005
98 Kyrgyzstan 2.41 births per woman 2005
=99 Morocco 2.4 births per woman 2005
=99 Colombia 2.4 births per woman 2005
101 Kuwait 2.39 births per woman 2005
=102 Brunei 2.38 births per woman 2005
=102 Jamaica 2.38 births per woman 2005
104 Greenland 2.36 births per woman 2003
105 Bahrain 2.34 births per woman 2005
=106 Mongolia 2.33 births per woman 2005
=106 Azerbaijan 2.33 births per woman 2005
108 French Polynesia 2.31 births per woman 2005
109 New Caledonia 2.3 births per woman 2005
Heavily indebted countries average (profile) 2.29 births per woman 2005
=110 Brazil 2.29 births per woman 2005
=110 Argentina 2.29 births per woman 2005
112 Indonesia 2.27 births per woman 2005
=113 The Bahamas 2.25 births per woman 2005
=113 Lebanon 2.25 births per woman 2005
115 Burma 2.23 births per woman 2005
116 Uzbekistan 2.22 births per woman 2005
117 Virgin Islands 2.2 births per woman 2005
118 Turkey 2.19 births per woman 2005
119 Guyana 2.18 births per woman 2005
120 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2.12 births per woman 2004
=121 Mexico 2.11 births per woman 2005
=121 Saint Kitts and Nevis 2.11 births per woman 2002
123 Seychelles 2.1 births per woman 2003
Emerging markets average (profile) 2.08 births per woman 2005
=124 Iran 2.07 births per woman 2005
=124 Saint Lucia 2.07 births per woman 2005
=124 Netherlands Antilles 2.07 births per woman 2005
=127 United States 2.05 births per woman 2005
=127 Iceland 2.05 births per woman 2005
129 Tunisia 2.04 births per woman 2005
=130 Costa Rica 2 births per woman 2005
=130 New Zealand 2 births per woman 2005
=130 Uruguay 2 births per woman 2005
133 Mauritius 1.98 births per woman 2005
134 Chile 1.97 births per woman 2005
135 North Korea 1.96 births per woman 2005
136 France 1.92 births per woman 2005
137 Sri Lanka 1.91 births per woman 2005
138 Dominica 1.9 births per woman 2003
139 Thailand 1.89 births per woman 2005
140 Ireland 1.88 births per woman 2005
141 Norway 1.84 births per woman 2005
142 China 1.81 births per woman 2005
=143 Finland 1.8 births per woman 2005
=143 Denmark 1.8 births per woman 2005
=143 United Kingdom 1.8 births per woman 2005
=143 Puerto Rico 1.8 births per woman 2005
=147 Albania 1.78 births per woman 2005
=147 Vietnam 1.78 births per woman 2005
Former Soviet republics average (profile) 1.78 births per woman 2005
=149 Australia 1.77 births per woman 2005
=149 Sweden 1.77 births per woman 2005
=151 Bermuda 1.75 births per woman 2005
=151 Kazakhstan 1.75 births per woman 2005
153 Netherlands 1.73 births per woman 2005
154 Belgium 1.72 births per woman 2005
Cold countries average (profile) 1.72 births per woman 2005
=155 Luxembourg 1.7 births per woman 2005
=155 Antigua and Barbuda 1.7 births per woman 2002
157 Barbados 1.69 births per woman 2004
Non-religious countries average (profile) 1.67 births per woman 2005
High income OECD countries average (profile) 1.63 births per woman 2005
=158 Serbia and Montenegro 1.61 births per woman 2005
=158 Trinidad and Tobago 1.61 births per woman 2005
Group of 7 countries (G7) average (profile) 1.6 births per woman 2005
NATO countries average (profile) 1.53 births per woman 2005
Europe average (profile) 1.51 births per woman 2005
160 Canada 1.51 births per woman 2005
=161 Estonia 1.5 births per woman 2005
=161 Cuba 1.5 births per woman 2005
Eurozone average (profile) 1.5 births per woman 2005
European Union average (profile) 1.48 births per woman 2005
=163 Cyprus 1.42 births per woman 2005
=163 Croatia 1.42 births per woman 2005
=163 Switzerland 1.42 births per woman 2005
166 Austria 1.41 births per woman 2005
167 Portugal 1.4 births per woman 2005
168 Georgia 1.39 births per woman 2005
Eastern Europe average (profile) 1.38 births per woman 2005
=169 Armenia 1.37 births per woman 2005
=169 Malta 1.37 births per woman 2005
171 Germany 1.36 births per woman 2005
172 Spain 1.33 births per woman 2005
=173 Italy 1.32 births per woman 2005
=173 Hungary 1.32 births per woman 2005
=173 Romania 1.32 births per woman 2005
=176 Bulgaria 1.31 births per woman 2005
=176 Latvia 1.31 births per woman 2005
178 Russia 1.29 births per woman 2005
=179 Greece 1.28 births per woman 2005
=179 Czech Republic 1.28 births per woman 2005
=181 Moldova 1.27 births per woman 2005
=181 Lithuania 1.27 births per woman 2005
183 Japan 1.26 births per woman 2005
184 Slovakia 1.25 births per woman 2005
=185 Belarus 1.24 births per woman 2005
=185 Poland 1.24 births per woman 2005
=185 Singapore 1.24 births per woman 2005
188 Slovenia 1.23 births per woman 2005
189 Ukraine 1.2 births per woman 2005
190 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1.19 births per woman 2005
191 South Korea 1.08 births per woman 2005
192 Hong Kong 0.97 births per woman 2005
193 Macau 0.88 births per woman 2005

Citation

Health > Fertility rate > Total > Births per woman: Countries Compared Map

NationMaster

Interesting observations about Health > Fertility rate > Total > Births per woman

3

Total Fertility Rate is the measure of the number of children a woman is expected to have during her reproductive years, based on age specific fertility rates.

Computation:

Age Specific Fertility Rate = (annual number of births in a given age group /number of women in that age group) x 1000

Total Fertility Rate = (Sum of Age Specific Fertility Rates in all age groups x number of years in each age group)/1000

Description:

Total Fertility Rate is the most commonly used measure to compare fertility among different countries. It shows how many children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime. In developing countries, the issue of overpopulation is a serious problem, with TFR rates in some countries as high as 7. On the other hand, developed countries face different problems, as their total fertility rates continue to decline.

TFR and replacement rate are often compared against each other to predict trends in population growth of a given country. The replacement rate is the average number of children a woman should have to keep the population at equilibrium. In developed countries, the replacement rate is 2.1 while in developing nations, it is set much higher because of increased mortality rates.

The implications of a high or low TFR are important in both the developed and developing world. Concerns over falling birth rates are growing in many developed countries. Some of these countries include those in the Western Europe, Singapore and Japan, where the TFR is below the replacement rate. They face the problem of an increasingly aging population, with higher dependency ratios. This poses a serious risk on economic growth in the future.

One of the identified factors which contribute to declining TFR is the shifting views of women from their traditional roles. Women who have higher educational attainment and income tend to postpone marriage and child bearing and have less children compared to others.

In developing nations, fertility rate trends have shown a slight decreased over the past few decades. However, rapid population growth continues to be their concern. Lack of education and access to family planning methods are the main causes of overpopulation. Higher fertility rates increase the risk for death and disease in women. They also have fewer chances of finding work outside the home. Children who have more siblings find it harder to get out of poverty compared to those who have less.

Citations

1) Population Reference Bureau: Fertility rates in low birth-rate countries, 1996-2011. http://www.prb.org/Publications/Articles/2012/low-fertility-countries-tfr.aspx

2) Trends and Dertminants of Fertility Rates in OECD Countries: The Role of Policies. http://www.oecd.org/els/soc/35304751.pdf

3) UN News Centre: High birth rates hamper development in poorer countries, warns UN forum. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=30365&Cr=population&Cr1=mdg#.UyE3jz_6Nsk

Posted on 09 Apr 2014

chris.lockyer781

chris.lockyer781

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