India’s population has now reached 146.39 crores – says the UNFPA report. And listen, the fertility rate has fallen to 1.9, which is even less than the replacement level of 2.1. Simply put – people are having fewer children.
Now listen to the interesting thing, the report says that India’s population will grow for a few more years, about 40 more years, and then it will slowly start decreasing after reaching around 170 crores. Imagine, 170 crore people! The very idea of the crowd is head-spinning.
And yes, 68% of the country’s population is between 15 and 64 years. That is, the country is full of young people – there is no shortage of working hands, now they just need the right direction
The real crisis
The UN report is clear—millions of people are not able to achieve their true reproductive goals. This is not a fight of overpopulation or underpopulation, the real issue is that people are not able to choose their own, with the right information, about sex, contraception or when to start a family.
Talking about India, the army of youth here is still tremendous—about 24% of the population is between 0 to 14 years, 17% is in the range of 10 to 19, and 26% is in the range of 10 to 24. And listen, the report says that 68% of the people here are of working age (15-64 years). Think, what a great power this is, provided everyone gets the right opportunities and freedom to take decisions.
Replacement Level TFR
TFR here refers to the number of children a woman gives birth to on an average during her reproductive life.
According to the latest report for 2021 released by the Office of the Registrar General of India, the country’s TFR stood at 2.0—the same as last year’s figures. The report also clarifies that the replacement level TFR has been achieved at the national level.
Replacement level TFR is the rate required for each generation to keep the population of the previous generation stable.
Elderly population
Talking about the elderly population, the share of people above 65 years of age in the country is currently around 7%. In the coming years, as life expectancy increases, this figure is likely to increase further. Government estimates also point towards this.
Overall, there are signs of the elderly population of the country increasing rapidly and it has now become necessary to pay attention to the socio-economic aspects related to it.
Average life expectancy for men
According to the United Nations report, the average life expectancy for men is estimated to be 71 years and for women 74 years by 2025. Clearly, there will be an increase in the number of senior citizens.
Fall in fertility rate—Report
According to a new report, the fertility rate in India is now 1.9 children per woman. This simply means that the average Indian woman is producing so few children that if there is no migration, it will not be possible to maintain the population at the current level in the next generation.
keyTerms:
UNFPA: United Nations Population Fund
Population: Population
TFR (Total Fertility Rate): Total Fertility Rate
Replacement Level: Replacement Level
Life Expectancy: Life Expectancy
Demographic Planning: Demographic Planning
Reproductive Rights: Reproductive Rights
Key Points
- India’s population has now reached 146.39 crores, which means we officially have the largest number of people in the world.
- The total fertility rate (TFR) is now 1.9—meaning, now people are producing fewer children than before. Even below the replacement level (2.1).
- Yes, the rate of population growth has slowed down a bit, but still the total population can reach 170 crores in the next 40 years. After that, the decline will probably begin.
- India has a very large youth population, but the number of elderly people is also increasing because life is getting longer.
- The report says that reproductive health and population planning are very important—these things are also important for people’s reproductive rights.
