Diversity in trends (cont.)
The variation between countries and regions in growth rates is largely due to differences in fertility rates. The total fertility rate (TFR) is a widely used summary measure of current fertility rates. It tells us how many children each woman would have on average, if they experienced current fertility rates over their entire lifetime.
Examples of current total fertility rates (2012):
| More Developed Countries | Less Developed Countries | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 1.59 | Afghanistan | 5.64 |
| France | 2.08 | Mali | 6.35 |
| Japan | 1.39 | Uganda | 6.14 |
Source: US Bureau of the Census, International Database [Accessed 11/03/13]