Total fertility rate: 3.58 children born/woman (2012 est.)
Definition: This entry gives a figure for the average number of
children that would be born per woman if all women lived to the
end of their childbearing years and bore children according to a
given fertility rate at each age. The total fertility rate (TFR)
is a more direct measure of the level of fertility than the
crude birth rate, since it refers to births per woman. This
indicator shows the potential for population change in the
country. A rate of two children per woman is considered the
replacement rate for a population, resulting in relative
stability in terms of total numbers. Rates above two children
indicate populations growing in size and whose median age is
declining. Higher rates may also indicate difficulties for
families, in some situations, to feed and educate their children
and for women to enter the labor force. Rates below two children
indicate populations decreasing in size and growing older.
Global fertility rates are in general de