What does the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) indicate?

The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) is a demographic measure that indicates the average number of children a woman would potentially have during her lifetime if she were to experience the exact current age-specific fertility rates through her lifetime. This statistic is important because it helps demographers understand population growth and decline. A TFR of about 2.1 is typically considered the replacement level, which means the population is just replacing itself without growing or shrinking.

The other answers reference different concepts: the total population size refers to the overall count of individuals in a given area, the number of births per 1,000 individuals is a different metric known as the crude birth rate, and the average age of women at childbirth pertains to timing rather than overall fertility potential.