Total fertility rate (TFR) of Sri Lankan women is now estimated to be lower than that of their counterparts in some developed nations. TFR in Sri Lanka has fallen much faster than what was officially projected, reaching the targeted replacement level of 2.1 in 1993, almost eight years before the official deadline. This makes Sri Lanka the poorest nation to have achieved replacement level fertility, according to Indralal de Silva, professor of demography, University of Colombo.