A Developing Country's Replacement Fertility Rate is Most Directly Affected

Question

A developing country's replacement fertility rate is most directly affected by which factor?  
A) Poverty
B) Endemic diseases
C) Death of children before the age of reproduction
D) Environmental factors that disrupt fetal development
E) Government-directed population control

Accepted Answer

Replacement fertility rate refers to the total fertility rate at which a population replaces itself from one generation to the next. This rate is influenced by the number of children who survive to reproductive age. If children are dying before they reach reproductive age, then the replacement fertility rate will be affected. Therefore, the death of children before the age of reproduction is the most direct factor affecting a developing country's replacement fertility rate.