{"id":45166,"date":"2025-06-11T20:20:53","date_gmt":"2025-06-11T14:50:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=45166"},"modified":"2025-06-24T16:32:15","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T11:02:15","slug":"unfpa-state-world-population-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/11-06-2025\/unfpa-state-world-population-2025","title":{"rendered":"UNFPA State of World Population 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS1\/ Human Geography<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India\u2019s population has reached an estimated 146.39 crore by April 2025, according to the <strong>U<\/strong><strong>nited Nations report titled \u201cState of the World Population 2025: The Real Fertility Crisis.\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>India\u2019s Status as per the 2025 Report<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Current Population Status:<\/strong> India is the world\u2019s most populous country with <strong>146.39 crore <\/strong>people, surpassing <strong>China (141.61 crore).<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The population is expected to peak at <strong>170 crore<\/strong> before beginning to decline in approximately <strong>40 years.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Decline in Fertility Rate:<\/strong> TFR is now <strong>1.9,<\/strong> below the replacement level of<strong> 2.1.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Among the states that had fertility rates higher than national average were <strong>Bihar (2.98), Meghalaya (2.9), Uttar Pradesh (2.35), Jharkhand (2.26), and Manipur (2.2).<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"d1dff0\" data-has-transparency=\"true\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"613\" height=\"499\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/06\/total-fertility-rate-per-woman.png\" alt=\"total-fertility-rate-per-woman\" class=\"has-transparency wp-image-45187\" style=\"--dominant-color: #d1dff0; width:439px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/06\/total-fertility-rate-per-woman.png 613w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/06\/total-fertility-rate-per-woman-300x244.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 613px) 100vw, 613px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Demographic Composition:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Working-age population<\/strong> (15\u201364 years): 68%<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Children<\/strong> (0\u201314 years): 24%<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Youth<\/strong> (10\u201324 years): 26%<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Elderly<\/strong> (65+ years): 7% (expected to rise)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is the Real Fertility Crisis?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The real fertility crisis lies not in <strong>overpopulation or underpopulation,<\/strong> but in the inability of individuals to achieve their reproductive goals.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It calls for <strong>reproductive agency<\/strong>\u2014the freedom to make informed choices regarding sex, contraception, and family planning.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Total Fertility Rate (TFR)<\/strong><br>&#8211; The average number of children born to a woman during her childbearing years.\u00a0<br>&#8211; A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/12-05-2025\/total-fertility-rate-remains-constant-2-0-in-2021\">TFR <\/a>of <strong>2.1 <\/strong>is considered the replacement level needed to maintain a stable population.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Reasons for Population Decline<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Access to Reproductive Healthcare:<\/strong> Contraceptive use and maternal health services have expanded.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Female Education &amp; Empowerment:<\/strong> Increased female literacy and workforce participation delay childbirth.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Urbanization: <\/strong>Urban lifestyles reduce family size due to cost and space constraints.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Economic Uncertainty:<\/strong> Rising cost of living and job instability discourage large families.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Significance of the Population decline<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Population Stabilization:<\/strong> A TFR of 2.0 indicates India is approaching population stabilization, which can ease pressure on natural resources, public services, and the environment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Improved Maternal health:<\/strong> Fewer childbirths per woman, coupled with delayed age of marriage, lead to reduced maternal mortality, better child care, and healthier families.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Women Empowerment: <\/strong>Lower fertility rates reflect higher education levels, workforce participation, and greater autonomy among women, leading to better social and economic outcomes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What are the concerns?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Ageing Population: <\/strong>A rise in the elderly population will increase the dependency on the working population, demanding increased focus on pension, healthcare, and social welfare systems.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Potential for Skewed Sex Ratios:<\/strong> In certain areas, fertility reduction without tackling gender bias can exacerbate sex-selective practices, leading to imbalanced sex ratios.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Demographic Imbalance:<\/strong> States with vast fertility differences, potentially leading to interstate migration, cultural shifts, and resource strain in low-TFR states.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Global scenario<\/strong><br>&#8211; <strong>In Japan <\/strong>the median age is over <strong>48 years.<\/strong> This has led to prolonged economic stagnation, shrinking workforce, and increased public spending on pensions and healthcare.<br>&#8211; <strong>China\u2019s one-child policy<\/strong>, enforced from 1979 to 2015, significantly lowered the birth rate, leading to a rapidly aging population.<br>&#8211; <strong>South Korea<\/strong> has one of the <strong>world\u2019s lowest fertility rates, at 0.78 as of 2022.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concluding remarks<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India stands at a <strong>demographic crossroads.<\/strong> The decline in fertility is a testament to social progress in education, healthcare, and gender empowerment.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>However, as the focus shifts from <strong>population control to reproductive rights and demographic balance<\/strong>, India must prepare for a future that balances economic productivity, social support systems, and individual reproductive choices.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/indias-population-reaches-14639-crore-fertility-rate-drops-below-replacement-level-un-report\/article69679518.ece\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">India\u2019s population has reached an estimated 146.39 crore by April 2025, according to the United Nations report titled \u201cState of the World Population 2025: The Real Fertility Crisis.\u201d<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>India\u2019s Status as per the 2025 Report<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Current Population Status: India is the world\u2019s most populous country with 146.39 crore people, surpassing China (141.61 crore).<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The population is expected to peak at 170 crore before beginning to decline in approximately 40 years.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Decline in Fertility Rate: TFR is now 1.9, below the replacement level of 2.1.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Among the states that had fertility rates higher than national average were Bihar (2.98), Meghalaya (2.9), Uttar Pradesh (2.35), Jharkhand (2.26), and Manipur (2.2).<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/11-06-2025\/unfpa-state-world-population-2025\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45166"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45166\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46055,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45166\/revisions\/46055"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}