Population Momentum

Introduction to Population Momentum

Population momentum is the continued population growth that would occur even if levels of childbearing immediately declined to replacement level. It arises because of the inherent age structure of populations. Even with declining fertility, the youthful age distribution means that the number of births will exceed the number of deaths for some years, causing the population to grow. This momentum can be calculated using the net reproduction rate.

Parameter usage:

• initialPopulation = initial population size
• netReproductionRate = net reproduction rate

Data validation:

The initial population should be a positive number. The net reproduction rate should be a decimal between 0 and 1.

Output:

• populationMomentum = population momentum

Summary

This calculator takes the initial population size and net reproduction rate, and outputs the resulting population momentum. It helps to understand the future population growth even with declining fertility.