Forecasting Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in Botswana

In this research article, the ANN approach was applied to analyze TFR in Botswana. The employed annual data covers the period 1960-2018 and the out-of-sample period ranges over the period 2019-2030. The residuals and forecast evaluation criteria (Error, MSE and MAE) of the applied model indicate that the model is stable in forecasting TFR in Botswana. The results of the study indicate that annual total fertility rates in Botswana are likely to slightly rise over the out-of-sample period. Therefore, we encourage the government of Botswana to create more demand for family planning services and create youth friendly health facilities to enable easy access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services.