A true rate of population growth--Lotka's intrinsic rate of natural increase revisited
Chiang, C.L.
Mathematical Biosciences 103(1): 139-152
1991
ISSN/ISBN: 0025-5564 PMID: 1804438 DOI: 10.1016/0025-5564(91)90095-zDocument Number: 326110
In this paper, Lotka's intrinsic rate of current population growth is evaluated. A new method of computing the net reproduction rate and a new rate of population growth are proposed. The proposed rate is the rate of growth of the female population per woman per year. The rate is positive, equal to zero, or negative as a population is increasing, remaining stationary, or decreasing. The rate for the 1987 U.S. white female population was R = -0.0037. This means that the white population was decreasing in 1987 and was losing 3.7 females for every 1000 women per year.