India’s total fertility rate has now declined to 1.9 births per woman, below the replacement level of 2.1. This means, on average, Indian women are having fewer children than needed to maintain the population size from one generation to the next, excluding migration factors. Despite the slowing birth rate, India’s youth population remains substantial: 24% are aged 0-14, 17% are between 10-19, and 26% fall in the 10-24 age group. The fertility rate in India has dropped over the past few decades. Here's what it means, why it matters, and how it compares globally A 2024 map of countries by fertility rate. Blue indicates negative fertility rates. Red indicates positive rates. The total fertility rate (TFR) of a population is the average number of children that are born to a woman over her lifetime, if they were to experience the exact current age-specific fertility rates (ASFRs) through their lifetime, and they were to live from birth until the end of their reproductive life. As of 2023, the total fertility rate varied widely across the world, from 0. ... India’s fertility rate has dropped to 1.9, below the replacement level, with financial strain and evolving societal choices playing key roles, says the UNFPA’s 2025 report.
