---
title: "Total Fertility Rate (TFR): Meaning & Formula"
description: "Total Fertility Rate (TFR) is the average children per woman at current age-specific rates; 2.1 marks replacement level. See how it differs from CBR and GFR."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/total-fertility-rate"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- Total Fertility Rate is the average number of children a woman would bear over her lifetime if she experienced current age-specific fertility rates throughout her reproductive years.
- Why is the replacement-level TFR set at 2.1 rather than 2.0?
- How does TFR differ from the crude birth rate?
- What is the tempo effect and why does it matter for TFR?
- Who computes TFR for India?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

Total Fertility Rate is the average number of children a woman would bear over her lifetime if she experienced current age-specific fertility rates throughout her reproductive years.

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India's National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), released in 2021, recorded a national Total Fertility Rate of 2.0, below the replacement level of 2.1 for the first time in the country's history.

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