India’s Fertility Rate Hits New Low

Rapid Summary

• India’s Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has declined to 1.9 in 2023,from 2.0 in 2022, falling below the replacement level of 2.1 required for generational stability.
• Rural india’s TFR has reached the replacement level of 2.1 for the frist time; urban areas have a lower TFR of just 1.5 on average.
• National Gross Reproduction Rate (GRR) stands at 0.9, with rural GRR higher at 1.0 and urban GRR at only 0.7, indicating disparities between rural and urban fertility trends.
• Bihar records the highest TFR at 2.8 among states; Delhi maintains the lowest rate at just 1.2.
• Infant mortality Rate (IMR) has dropped to an overall national level of 25 per every thousand live births – a one-point annual decline over recent years.
• Kerala and Manipur record the lowest IMRs in India, while Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh have the highest IMRs.

Indian Opinion Analysis
India’s declining fertility rates signify critically important demographic shifts that coudl pave pathways toward population stabilization but may also lead to challenges associated with aging populations as seen globally in countries below replacement-level fertility rates for extended periods (e.g., Japan or some European nations).Rural India achieving a replacement-level rate for TFR marks considerable progress in countering historically higher birth rates but highlights further scope for addressing socio-economic inequalities reflected by urban-rural divergences.

The drop in Infant Mortality Rate is another positive indicator signifying gradual improvement due to healthcare advancements and policy efforts aimed at maternal-child health interventions geographically though inequity concerning divergent micro-region /maxim spreades unexplained remains tension both .Though sustained reaching ambitious nuance outputs similar/balance inadequate policy tech n skill inconsist-equivocal equity benefit-tool(Time regional-polic….!

Read More: Economic Times