India's population touches 1.46 billion, fertility rate drops: UN report

Indias population is estimated to reach 146 billion in 2025 continuing to be the highest in the world according to a new UN demographic report which also revealed the countrys total fertility rate has fallen below the replacement rateUNFPAs 2025 State of World Population SOWP Report The Real Fertility Crisis calls for a shift from panic over falling fertility to addressing unmet reproductive goalsMillions of people are not able to realise their real fertility goals it assertsThis is the real crisis not underpopulation or overpopulation and the answer lies in greater reproductive agency a persons ability to make free and informed 150 per cent choices about sex contraception and starting a family it saysThe report also reveals key shifts in population composition fertility and life expectancy signalling a major demographic transitionThe report found that Indias total fertility rate has declined to 19 births per woman falling below the replacement level of 21This means that on average Indian women are having fewer children than needed to maintain the population size from one generation to the next without migrationDespite the slowing birth rate Indias youth population remains significant with 24 per cent in the age bracket of 014 17 per cent in 1019 and 26 per cent in 1024The countrys 68 per cent of the population is of working age 1564 providing a potential demographic dividend if matched by adequate employment and policy supportThe elderly population 65 and older currently stands at seven per cent a figure that is expected to rise in the coming decades as life expectancy improves As of 2025 life expectancy at birth is projected to be 71 years for men and 74 years for womenAccording to the UN estimates Indias population at present stands at 14639 millionIndia is now the worlds most populous nation with nearly 15 billion people mdash a number expected to grow to about 17 billion before it begins to fall around 40 years from now the report saidBehind these numbers are the stories of millions of couples who decided to start or expand their families as well as the stories of women who had few choices about whether when or how often they became pregnant the report saidIn 1960 when Indias population was about 436 million the average woman had nearly six childrenBack then women had less control over their bodies and lives than they do today Fewer than 1 in 4 used some form of contraception and fewer than 1 in 2 attended primary school World Bank Data 2020 the report saidBut in the coming decades educational attainment increased access to reproductive healthcare improved and more women gained a voice in the decisions that affected their lives The average woman in India now has about two childrenWhile women in India and every other country have more rights and choices today than their mothers or grandmothers did they still have a long way to go before they are empowered to have the number of children they want if any when they want themThe UN report placed India in a group of middleincome countries undergoing rapid demographic change with population doubling time now estimated at 79 yearsIndia has made significant progress in lowering fertility rates mdash from nearly five children per woman in 1970 to about two today thanks to improved education and access to reproductive healthcare said Andrea M Wojnar UNFPA India RepresentativeThis has led to major reductions in maternal mortality meaning million more mothers are alive today raising children and building communities Yet deep inequalities persist across states castes and income groupsThe real demographic dividend comes when everyone has the freedom and means to make informed reproductive choices India has a unique opportunity to show how reproductive rights and economic prosperity can advance together she saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever