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Time of India
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
India's fertility rate drops below replacement level even as population hits 1.46 billion: UN report
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel India's population has reached 1.46 billion in 2025, cementing its position as the world's most populous nation, even as its fertility rate continues to decline, according to the United Nations Population Fund 's (UNFPA) State of World Population Report released on report projects that India's population will peak at around 1.7 billion over the next 40 years before beginning to shrink. In comparison, China's population is estimated to be 1.41 billion this year. Last year, India's population stood at 1.44 billion, according to the World Population Prospects 2024 report released by the UN in total fertility rate (TFR) in India has now fallen to 1.9, which is below the replacement level of 2.1 needed to maintain a stable population across generations. The UNFPA report highlights that while the national average reflects progress, it conceals sharp disparities across regions, economic classes and social contrast has created what the report calls a 'high fertility and low fertility duality.' States such as Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh continue to show high fertility rates due to poor access to contraception, limited healthcare services and entrenched gender norms. In contrast, states like Delhi, Kerala and Tamil Nadu have sustained below-replacement fertility levels. In these states, many urban, educated middle-class couples are delaying or opting out of parenthood because of rising costs and work-life has seen a significant decline in fertility over the decades, from nearly five children per woman in 1970 to around two today. The National Family Health Survey of 2019–21 recorded a TFR of 2.0 for the first time, signaling the shift below replacement this progress, the report notes that millions in India still face barriers to making informed reproductive choices. Many women are unable to freely decide if and when to have children. The focus, the UNFPA urges, should shift from concerns over falling fertility to fulfilling reproductive intentions.'This is the real crisis, not underpopulation or overpopulation. The answer lies in greater reproductive agency, a person's ability to make free and informed choices about sex, contraception and starting a family,' the report this, a UNFPA-YouGov survey of 14,000 people across 14 countries, including India, found that one in three Indian adults reported experiencing unintended pregnancies. Another 30 percent said they were unable to have as many or as few children as they wanted. Notably, 23 percent experienced constraints were the most cited barrier, with nearly four in ten respondents naming it as a reason they could not have the families they desired. Other hurdles included job insecurity (21 percent), housing issues (22 percent), and lack of access to reliable childcare (18 percent).The report calls for a fundamental shift in population policy discourse, urging governments to prioritise reproductive rights and support systems over alarmist reactions to demographic change
Economic Times
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Economic Times
India's fertility rate drops below replacement level even as population hits 1.46 billion: UN report
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel India's population has reached 1.46 billion in 2025, cementing its position as the world's most populous nation, even as its fertility rate continues to decline, according to the United Nations Population Fund 's (UNFPA) State of World Population Report released on report projects that India's population will peak at around 1.7 billion over the next 40 years before beginning to shrink. In comparison, China's population is estimated to be 1.41 billion this year. Last year, India's population stood at 1.44 billion, according to the World Population Prospects 2024 report released by the UN in total fertility rate (TFR) in India has now fallen to 1.9, which is below the replacement level of 2.1 needed to maintain a stable population across generations. The UNFPA report highlights that while the national average reflects progress, it conceals sharp disparities across regions, economic classes and social contrast has created what the report calls a 'high fertility and low fertility duality.' States such as Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh continue to show high fertility rates due to poor access to contraception, limited healthcare services and entrenched gender norms. In contrast, states like Delhi, Kerala and Tamil Nadu have sustained below-replacement fertility levels. In these states, many urban, educated middle-class couples are delaying or opting out of parenthood because of rising costs and work-life has seen a significant decline in fertility over the decades, from nearly five children per woman in 1970 to around two today. The National Family Health Survey of 2019–21 recorded a TFR of 2.0 for the first time, signaling the shift below replacement this progress, the report notes that millions in India still face barriers to making informed reproductive choices. Many women are unable to freely decide if and when to have children. The focus, the UNFPA urges, should shift from concerns over falling fertility to fulfilling reproductive intentions.'This is the real crisis, not underpopulation or overpopulation. The answer lies in greater reproductive agency, a person's ability to make free and informed choices about sex, contraception and starting a family,' the report this, a UNFPA-YouGov survey of 14,000 people across 14 countries, including India, found that one in three Indian adults reported experiencing unintended pregnancies. Another 30 percent said they were unable to have as many or as few children as they wanted. Notably, 23 percent experienced constraints were the most cited barrier, with nearly four in ten respondents naming it as a reason they could not have the families they desired. Other hurdles included job insecurity (21 percent), housing issues (22 percent), and lack of access to reliable childcare (18 percent).The report calls for a fundamental shift in population policy discourse, urging governments to prioritise reproductive rights and support systems over alarmist reactions to demographic change
Deccan Herald
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
Depopulation or degrowth?
There is now a perceptible change in the political discourse in India on its population growth. For decades, national policy focused on population control, with the two-child norm serving as the default template for implementation. Since the 1970s, politicians have largely avoided making statements on population policy during elections. However, in 2019, Prime Minister Narendra broke this convention. During his Independence Day speech, he warned that India's population explosion threatened both current and future development. He praised small households as 'role models' and described population control as an 'expression of patriotism and love for the nation'..In the early 1990s, for example, it was observed that the youngsters of marriageable age in Japan preferred not to marry but to cohabit and, when they did marry, not to have children. Today, Indian politicians across party lines are increasingly calling for a shift in the country's population policy. India is experiencing a steep decline in population growth, with the fertility rate dropping from five in the 1970s to two in 2023, according to the United Nations World Population Prospects 2024. This is now below the replacement level of March this year, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu said at a workshop on 'Population Dynamics and Development' that India needed to shift from population control to 'population management'. While he remains a supporter of the two-child norm, he framed his views in terms of maintaining economic stability. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin urged young couples to have more children. Stalin's appeal came in response to Tamil Nadu's diminishing representation in the Lok Sabha, which is based on population. Despite differing political contexts, both leaders underscored the same concern: that sustaining society and fuelling the economy would require larger, not smaller, order unlikely to impact domestic generic industry working on razor-thin profits.A growing global debate is unfolding around depopulation and its implications. Arguably, the current global population decline can be compared to the bubonic plague of the mid-14th century. But that decline was episodic; the current decline is happening at a time when humanity enjoys the maximum lifespan. 'What does a planet with fewer people mean for society? It's a position the modern world hasn't been in, so we would be crossing a demographic Rubicon,' writes Javed Franz, an American economist. He sees population decline as a negative impact on the economy: fewer people means less consumption, ultimately shrinking the economy. It also means fewer working people, reduced tax collection, and an ageing society requiring more government expenditure on supportive provisions. In India, similar concerns are being voiced. J Jayarajan, vice chairperson of the Tamil Nadu State Planning Commission, has warned that an ageing population could present an unprecedented challenge, placing significant financial strain on society. The McKinsey Global Institute, in its report Dependency and Depopulation, notes: 'Absent action, younger people will inherit lower economic growth and shoulder the cost of more retirees, while the traditional flow of wealth between generations erodes.'.On the other hand, some thinkers suggest that declining population trends might ultimately benefit the planet and its ecosystems. Anthropogenic global warming—the current warming trend driven primarily by human activities such as fossil fuel combustion, deforestation, and nitrogen-heavy agriculture—has significantly altered Earth's climate. The so-called Green Revolution, heavily reliant on synthetic fertilisers, has also contributed to global warming through the emission of nitrous oxide from urea this perspective, the rise in human population – unmatched by any other species in scale, speed, or predatory behaviour – has not been planet-friendly. Stephanie Feldstein, director of population and sustainability at the Centre for Biological Diversity, United States, writes in Scientific American: 'While many assume population decline would inevitably harm the economy, researchers found that lower fertility rates would not only result in lower emissions by 2055 but also a per capita income increase of 10%.' She further argues, 'Population decline is only a threat to an economy based on growth. Shifting to a model based on degrowth and equity alongside lower fertility rates will help fight climate change and increase wealth and well-being.'.The evolving discourse in India, the U-turn in India's population narrative, brings into focus this dilemma..(The writer is a former Professor, The Royal Society, Belgium)
Business Insider
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Insider
10 countries losing the most people to emigration
The movement of people in search of better economic prospects, safety from conflict, and improved living standards is a long-standing global phenomenon. Net migration losses: The hardest-hit nations According to the United Nations World Population Prospects 2024, Pakistan recorded the highest net population loss due to migration in 2023, with approximately 1.6 million more people leaving the country than arriving. Other Asian countries, including India (-980,000), China (-570,000), and Bangladesh (-550,000), also experienced significant outflows. The list includes countries with at least 10,000 more emigrants than immigrants. These figures, rounded for clarity, highlight widespread instability and inequality across various regions. READ ALSO: Nigerian immigration deports over 800 illegal immigrants Rank Country Net Migration 1 Pakistan -1.62M 2 Sudan -1.35M 3 India -979K 4 China -568K 5 Bangladesh -550K 6 Nepal -410K 7 Turkey -318K 8 Ukraine -300K 9 Brazil -240K 10 Philippines -164K Conflict-driven exodus from Sudan Sudan, situated in Northeast Africa, witnessed a net loss of around 1 million people in 2023, largely due to the devastating civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The humanitarian crisis has forced many to flee the country in search of safety. A spokesperson for Doctors Without Borders described the situation as involving "horrendous levels of violence" inflicted on civilians. Economic vs Political drivers of migration The data paints a broader picture of migration trends, where countries fall into two general categories: those experiencing economic hardship (such as Pakistan, India, and China), and those plagued by active conflicts (like Sudan, Ukraine, and Palestine). In many cases, both economic and political pressures are intertwined, reinforcing each other and accelerating the departure of residents. By examining these migration patterns, it becomes clear that international migration is not solely a personal decision, but also a reflection of systemic issues that demand global attention.
