Time Series Forecasting Of Total Fertility Rate (TFR) In Saudi Arabia

High period fertility and birth rates used to characterize Saudi Arabia over the past decades. In this research article, the ANN approach was applied to analyze TFR in Saudi Arabia. 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 Saudi Arabia. The results of the study indicate that annual total fertility rates in the country are likely to decline slightly over the out-of-sample period. Therefore, the government of Saudi Arabia is encouraged to (1) create more demand for family planning services so as to prevent undesirable sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes among adolescent girls and young women, and (2) promote female education and women’s rights to curb child marriages and violation of women’s rights.