17 February 2013

Uncounted Babies and Total Fertility Rate's Incomplete Picture of Procreation Statistics

Singapore is a rather unique country in many ways.

One unique aspect is the significant levels of cross-border population inflow.  It grants of tens of thousands of permanent residency a year.  Significant numbers of residents marry non-residents.

In the light of these, does the total fertility rate truly reflect the country's fertility rate?

Total Fertility Rate Defined
Total fertility rate is defined as the average number of live births each woman would have during her reproductive years if she were to experience the age-specific fertility rates prevailing during the period.[1]  It is expressed as number of children per woman.

TFR takes the number of children born to women in a given year to represent the number of children they will give birth to by the end of their reproductive years.[2]