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Q41 (IAS/2024) Economy › Growth, Development, Poverty & Employment › Demographic transition Official Key

The total fertility rate in an economy is defined as :

Result
Your answer:  ·  Correct: D
Explanation

The total fertility rate is defined as the average number of children born to each woman over the course of her life.[3] More precisely, it represents the average number of children that would be born to a woman over her lifetime if she were to experience the current age-specific fertility rates throughout her lifetime.[4] This makes option D correct, as it accurately captures the concept of TFR as the average number of live births a woman would have by the end of her child-bearing age.

Option A is incorrect because it describes the crude birth rate, which is the number of births over a given period divided by the person-years lived by the population, expressed as births per 1000 population.[5] Option B is incorrect as TFR measures births per woman, not per couple. Option C is incorrect because the birth rate and fertility rate are linked but distinct concepts[6], and TFR is not calculated as birth rate minus death rate—that would represent natural population growth.

Sources
  1. [1] https://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/HISHub-CRVS-Resource-Kit-pre-press.pdf
  2. [2] https://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/HISHub-CRVS-Resource-Kit-pre-press.pdf
  3. [3] https://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/HISHub-CRVS-Resource-Kit-pre-press.pdf
  4. [4] https://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/APPJ-Vol-22-No-2.pdf
  5. [5] https://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/HISHub-CRVS-Resource-Kit-pre-press.pdf
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Q. The total fertility rate in an economy is defined as : [A] the number of children born per 1000 people in the population in a year. [B]…
At a glance
Origin: Books + Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 2.5/10 · 7.5/10
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This is a classic 'Sitter' question derived directly from static NCERT Human Geography and standard Economy texts. It tests fundamental clarity on demographic definitions. If you confused 'per 1000 people' (Crude Birth Rate) with 'per woman' (TFR), your static revision needs immediate tightening.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Is the total fertility rate (TFR) defined as the number of children born per 1000 people in the population in a year?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"Fertility rate – the total fertility rate is the average number of children born to each woman over the course of her life."
Why this source?
  • Directly defines the total fertility rate (TFR) as the average number of children born to each woman over her life.
  • Explicitly contrasts TFR with crude birth rate, indicating TFR is not measured per 1000 population per year.
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"the crude birth rate is the number of births over a given period divided by the person-years lived by the population over that period. It is expressed as the number of births per 1000 population."
Why this source?
  • Defines the metric that matches the user's wording: births per 1000 population is the crude birth rate, not TFR.
  • Shows that 'number of births per 1000 population' is a distinct concept from TFR.
Web source
Presence: 4/5
"the total fertility rate was highest in countries in Africa and central Asia, where most countries had a total fertility rate between 3 to 7 births per woman"
Why this source?
  • Describes TFR in units of births per woman (e.g., 'between 3 to 7 births per woman'), reinforcing that TFR is per woman, not per 1000 people per year.
  • Notes TFR is births per woman and relates to surviving children per woman, further confirming the per-woman basis.

Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 8: Inclusive growth and issues > Recent demographic trends > p. 258
Strength: 5/5
“• Total Fertility Rate (TFR) is defined as the total number of children that would be born to each woman if she were to live to the end of her child-bearing years.• Replacement level fertility (RLF) is the level of fertility at which a population exactly replaces itself from one generation to the next. Ideally it should be 2.0 but generally it is 2.1 all over the world as we cannot expect all the female children will survive till the child bearing ages.• As per the latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS), India's TFR has declined to 2.0 which is below the replacement level fertility.”
Why relevant

Gives an explicit definition of TFR as the total number of children that would be born to each woman over her child-bearing years (per woman, lifetime measure).

How to extend

A student can contrast this per-woman lifetime definition with measures expressed 'per 1000 people in a year' to suspect they are different concepts.

Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 19: Population and Demographic Dividend > Is legislation on population regulation really required in the current scenario? > p. 570
Strength: 5/5
“Replacement level fertility rate is approximately 2.1 children per woman for most countries. TFR: It is the average number of children born per woman.”
Why relevant

States TFR is the average number of children born per woman and notes replacement level ~2.1 children per woman (units are 'per woman').

How to extend

A student can use the clear 'per woman' phrasing to rule out an interpretation that TFR is a per-1000-per-year rate.

FUNDAMENTALS OF HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 2: The World Population Distribution, Density and Growth > Components of Population Change > p. 9
Strength: 5/5
“There are three components of population change – births, deaths and migration. The crude birth rate (CBR) is expressed as number of live births in a year per thousand of population. It is calculated as: Here, CBR = Crude Birth Rate; B = live births during the year; P= Estimated mid year population of the area. Death rate plays an active role in population change. Population growth occurs not only by increasing births rate but also due to decreasing death rate. Crude Death Rate (CDR) is a simple method of measuring mortality of any area. CDR is expressed in terms of number of deaths in a particular year per thousand of population in a particular region.”
Why relevant

Defines the crude birth rate (CBR) as the number of live births in a year per thousand of population — an example of a rate expressed 'per 1000 people in a year'.

How to extend

A student can map the 'per 1000 per year' formulation here to the statement's wording and infer that that formulation corresponds to CBR, not TFR.

CONTEMPORARY INDIA-I ,Geography, Class IX . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 6: Population > Processes of Population Change/Growth > p. 52
Strength: 4/5
“There are three main processes of change of population : birth rates, death rates and migration. The natural increase of population is the difference between birth rates and death rates. Birth rate is the number of live births per thousand persons in a year. It is a major component of growth because in India, birth rates have always been higher than death rates.”
Why relevant

Also defines birth rate as number of live births per thousand persons in a year and contrasts birth/death rates as components of population change.

How to extend

A student can use this to understand standard demographic convention: annual 'per 1000' measures are crude rates, distinct from lifetime-per-woman measures like TFR.

Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 19: Population and Demographic Dividend > INDIA'S POPULATION: TREND IN SIZE, GROWTH PATTERN, BIRTH AND DEATH RATES > p. 561
Strength: 4/5
“382 464.1 (approx.) • Year: 1951; Birth Rate per 1000 Persons: 39.9; Death Rate per 1000 Persons: 27.4 • Year: 1961; Birth Rate per 1000 Persons: 41.7; Death Rate per 1000 Persons: 22.8 • Year: 1971; Birth Rate per 1000 Persons: 36.9; Death Rate per 1000 Persons: 14.9 • Year: 1981; Birth Rate per 1000 Persons: 33.9; Death Rate per 1000 Persons: 12.5 • Year: 1991; Birth Rate per 1000 Persons: 29.5; Death Rate per 1000 Persons: 9.8 • Year: 2001; Birth Rate per 1000 Persons: 25.4; Death Rate per 1000 Persons: 8”
Why relevant

Provides historical series of birth and death rates expressed 'per 1000 persons' showing common use of 'per 1000 per year' for crude rates.

How to extend

A student can generalize that demographic statistics use 'per 1000 per year' wording for crude rates (CBR/CDR), supporting the idea that TFR (per woman) is different.

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