A new parametric model for fitting fertility curves.
What is the optimum way of describing the age-specific fertility pattern by mathematical functions? We propose a parametric fitting model, based on a mixture of Weibull functions, which performs well for countries where the fertility curve shows a non-traditional pattern. We also consider a simplified version of this model with a reduced number of parameters that can be applied to fit fertility curves in countries where the fertility pattern exhibits a classical shape. To test the new model, fertility curves for a range of countries and years are fitted empirically. The results show that both versions of the new model outperform existing procedures in most cases.
Instituto de Estadística de Andalucía, Seville, Spain.
S
S
Bermúdez
R
R
Blanquero
J A
JA
Hernández
J
J
Planelles
D000367:Age Factors; D000465:Algorithms; D001723:Birth Rate / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D007494:Ireland; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D013030:Spain; D006113:United Kingdom