🇮🇳 📉 India's Fertility Rate Drops Below Replacement Level for First Time, Reveals Government Report

India, the world's most populous country, is currently experiencing one of the sharpest declines in fertility rates in the world. From 4.5 children per woman in the 1970s, it has now fallen to 1.9, below the replacement rate of 2.1. In more than two-thirds of countries, population growth is now below 2.1. - "India's Fertility Rate Drops Below Replacement Level for First Time, Reveals Government Report"

While the national average indicates a slowdown in population growth, the report highlights stark regional contrasts. Bihar recorded the highest fertility rate in the country at 2.9, followed by Uttar Pradesh at 2.6, Madhya Pradesh at 2.4 and Rajasthan at 2.3 - the only major states still above the replacement level. In contrast, Delhi reported the country's lowest TFR at 1.2. Southern and western states continue to show significantly lower fertility rates. Tamil Nadu, Kerala and West Bengal each recorded a TFR of 1.3, while Andhra Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Maharashtra and Punjab stood at 1.4. Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana each reported a TFR of 1.5.

The report also underlined the persistent rural-urban divide. India's rural TFR remained higher at 2.1 compared to 1.5 in urban areas. This trend was visible across almost all major states and Union Territories, except Kerala, where urban fertility was marginally higher, and Tamil Nadu, where fertility rates remained identical in both rural and urban regions.

https://www.ndtv.com/health/indias-fertility-rate-drops-below-replacement-level-for-first-time-reveals-government-report-11565147