Birth Rate

Why India's 2.0 fertility rate does not mean population decline soon

India's fertility rate remained at 2.0 in 2023-24, below replacement level. But that does not mean the population will start shrinking anytime soon. Here's why

India still has a demographic dividend. Can it create enough jobs?

India's fertility rate has fallen below replacement level, but the bigger question is whether the economy can create enough jobs and raise productivity before ageing pressures build

Fertility puzzle: Why countries can't seem to reverse falling birth rates

From cash incentives to calls for national duty, governments deployed every tool to boost births, but declining fertility proved far harder to reverse than expected

The enduring mystery of fertility decline has a new culprit: Smartphone

They are the most recent efforts to explain the sweeping fertility rate decline in the United States and other countries over the past 20 years

India's birth rate has fallen below replacement level, says Elon Musk

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Saturday noted that India's birth rate has fallen below replacement. "India's birth rate has fallen below replacement. Among those most educated, India's birth rate fell below replacement many years ago," the billionaire said in a post on X. Musk was quoting data by media outlet AF Post which said on the social media site that India's fertility rate has fallen below replacement for the first time in the country's history, "declining from a TFR (Total Fertility Rate) of 2.3 to 1.9 in just a decade. Delhi's fertility rate now sits at 1.2, lower than Finland's." AF Post cited a June 4 article from The Economist titled 'India's population will soon be falling-probably quite fast.' Last year, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) 2025 State of World Population (SOWP) Report said that India's total fertility rate has declined to 1.9 births per woman, falling below the replacement level of 2.1, which means that on average, Indian women are having fewer children th

Fertility rates in UP, Bihar, NE states drop closer to national average

Southern states largely see stable or marginally higher fertility levels, while northern and northeastern states record declines, indicating demographic convergence

Andhra CM Naidu promises cash incentives for third, fourth child

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday announced incentives of Rs 30,000 for the birth of a third child and Rs 40,000 for a fourth, as part of efforts to reverse the state's declining population trend. Addressing a public meeting at Narsannapeta in Srikakulam district, Naidu said the government had taken the decision and would announce further details within a month. "I have made a new decision. We will provide Rs 30,000 immediately after the birth of a third child and Rs 40,000 for a fourth child. Isn't this the right decision?" Naidu said on the sidelines of the SwarnaAndhraSwachAndhra cleanliness programme. Although he had once advocated population control measures, the CM said the time had now come for society to work together to increase the birth rate. Naidu's latest announcement follows an earlier proposal to provide a Rs 25,000 incentive for the birth of a second child. On March 5, the CM informed the Assembly that the state government was considerin

Amid declining birth rates, China imposes tax on condoms, contraceptives

China has imposed a 13 per cent tax on contraceptives as birth rates continue to fall, highlighting Beijing's struggle to reverse population decline a decade after ending the one-child policy

How a Maharashtra village of 1,500 logged 27,398 births in just 3 months

Authorities in Maharashtra's Yavatmal district are probing a massive birth registration scam after a village of just 1,500 people recorded over 27,000 delayed births in three months, raising fears of

Denmark apologises to Greenland for forced birth control: What's behind it?

A report released this month revealed that 4,070 Greenlandic women and girls had contraceptive devices inserted by the end of 1970 without informed consent

Longer lives, smaller families: What SRS data shows about India's future

India's population growth is slowing as now birth and death rates are half of 1971 levels, and infant mortality is at its lowest ever, govt data reveals

India's infant mortality rate hits historic low of 25; big states struggle

Kerala has one of the lowest infant deaths in India at 5 per 1,000 births, while the national average has dropped to 25 - the best ever. But states like UP, MP and Chhattisgarh still lag behind

China rolls out $500 child subsidies to boost birth rate: But is it enough

While China's new payout is its boldest pro-birth move yet, it may not counter the deep economic and social pressures driving China's demographic decline

India recorded 8.6 mn deaths in 2022, down 15% from Covid peak: CRS data

India registered 8.6 million deaths in 2022, a 15% drop from 2021's Covid peak, while births rose by 5% to 25.4 million, according to Civil Registration System data released by the Registrar General

India's life expectancy falls for 1st time in 50 yrs; blame it on Covid-19

Even in 2020, the first pandemic year, deaths had already risen by over six per cent compared to 2019

US sees 1% rise in births in 2024, but not enough to halt 'population dip'

US births rose 1 per cent in 2024 after a previous dip, driven by Hispanic and Asian women; Trump admin eyes incentives like a $5,000 bonus to tackle falling fertility rates

Trump bets on baby boom to Make America Great Again with cash, IVF and more

Trump's second-term blueprint revives traditional family values with baby bonuses, fertility programmes, and marriage incentives to combat America's falling birth rate

Millennials, GenZs say 'maybe later, baby': US birth rates hit 40-year low

The general fertility rate in the US decreased by 3 per cent in 2023, dropping to 54.5 births per 1,000 females aged 15 to 44, according to US National Center for Health Statistics

China to adopt policies for ageing population, aim to boost birth rates

China's population fell for a third consecutive year in 2024, as marriages plummeted by one-fifth

China's marriage rate hits 40-year low in 2024, deepening population woes

Given that most births in China occur within marriage, this downward trend in marriage rates is expected to push birth figures even lower in 2025