Projection of Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in Guinea Bissau

In this research article, the ANN approach was applied to analyze TFR in Guinea Bissau. 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 Guinea Bissau. The results of the study indicate that annual total fertility rates in Guinea Bissau are likely to remain around 5.0 births per woman throughout the out-of-sample period. Therefore, the government of Guinea Bissau is encouraged to focus on addressing barriers to accessing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services among adolescents and young adults, and scale up women empowerment program activities.