India’s population reached 146 crores, major decline in fertility rate, claims UN report

New Delhi: A big disclosure has been made in the new demographic report of the United Nations (UN) regarding the population of India. According to the report, India’s population is estimated to reach 1.46 billion by 2025, which is the highest in the world. With this, the country’s total fertility rate has now come down below the replacement rate. In such a situation, instead of panicking about the declining fertility, the government should try to focus on the incomplete fertility targets.

According to the 2025 World Population Status (SOWP) report of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the total fertility rate in India has now become 1.9 children per woman, which is below the replacement rate of 2.1. This means that on average Indian women are no longer giving birth to so many children that the population can remain stable in the next generation without migration. However, despite the decline in the birth rate, India’s young population is still large.

According to the report, the number of children in India aged 0-14 years is 24 percent, youth aged 10-19 years is 17 percent and people aged 10-24 years are 26 percent. 68 percent of the country’s population is of working age (15-64 years), which can have good results if supported by employment and good policies. The share of elderly people aged 65 years and above is currently 7 percent, which will increase further in the coming decades. According to the report, by the year 2025, the average life expectancy of men in India is estimated to be 71 years and that of women is 74 years. This clearly shows that the burden of work and responsibilities is heavier on men than women.

According to the report, the population of India at present is about 1.46 billion. India is now the most populous country in the world. In the coming decades, this figure will go up to about 1.7 billion and then after about 40 years the decline will start. Behind these figures are the stories of millions of families. Some decided to expand their families and some women did not have the opportunity to decide when and how many children they would have.

UNFPA India representative Andrea M. Wojnar said, “India’s fertility rate has declined rapidly. In 1970, every woman used to have 5 children, now this figure has come down to 2. The reason for this is better education and access to health care. This has led to a major decline in maternal mortality rate, that is, millions of mothers are alive, raising children and taking society forward. However, there are huge inequalities in the field of earnings.”

According to the World Bank’s 2020 data, in 1960 when India’s population was about 43.6 crores, an average woman had 6 children. Then only 1 out of 4 women used contraception and less than half went to school. Then gradually education increased, medical services improved and women got more rights to take their own decisions. Now in India, an average woman gives birth to about 2 children.