What do fractions in demographic stats (such as birthrates, fertility rates, life expectancy, death rates, etc.) mean?

EDIT: Thanks for the answers

22 points · 10 comments · view on lemmy.world

10 Comments

ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.works · 16 pts · 2y (8 replies)

These things are averages, and the average of integers can be a non-integer. If two women have one child each and a third woman has two children, the average woman has 1.33 children. Is that what you meant?

originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com · 9 pts · 2y (7 replies)

my fav example is that the average person has ~1 testicle!

rikudou@lemmings.world · 10 pts · 2y (4 replies)

My favourite is that the average amount of legs is less than 2. So most people have an above average amount of legs.

cynar@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2y (2 replies)

Depending on the country, I'd now question this. Does the number of leg amputees (dual counts double) outnumber the number of pregnant women at a given time? Legs form fairly early. Therefore, for about 6 months or so, most pregnant women have 4 legs.

rikudou@lemmings.world · 3 pts · 2y (1 reply)

I don't think anyone ever counts it like that.

cynar@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 2y

Consider the whole conversation it predated on the pedantic difference between mean median and modal averages...

Valmond@lemmy.mindoki.com · 2 pts · 2y

And eyes.

And lungs, and ... :-/

BlameThePeacock@lemmy.ca · 4 pts · 2y (1 reply)

The average person contains more than one heart (due to late term pregnant women)

dave@feddit.uk · 1 pts · 2y

And more than one skeleton.

vzq@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 14 pts · 2y

What is tripping you up exactly? Most statistics are population level averages, so they are divided by a large number.