{"id":53185,"date":"2025-09-05T21:35:22","date_gmt":"2025-09-05T16:05:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=53185"},"modified":"2025-09-22T14:43:37","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T09:13:37","slug":"india-fertility-birth-rate-decline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/05-09-2025\/india-fertility-birth-rate-decline","title":{"rendered":"India\u2019s Fertility and Birth Rates Continue to Decline"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/Issues Related To Health<\/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>The latest <strong>Sample Registration Survey (SRS) Statistical Report 2023<\/strong>, released by the <strong>Office of the Registrar General of India<\/strong>, points to falling fertility and birth rates, improved survival outcomes, and a rising elderly population.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Methodology<\/strong><br>&#8211; <strong>Sample Registration Survey (SRS)<\/strong> uses a <strong>dual-record system:<\/strong> continuous enumeration and retrospective half-yearly surveys.<br>2. It covers over 8.1 million people across all States and Union Territories.<br>3. It ensures high reliability through field verification and cross-checking of birth and death events.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Highlights From the Report 2023<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>State-Wise Variations in CBR and TFR:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Crude Birth Rate (CBR):<\/strong> Fell from <strong>19.1 in 2022 to 18.4 in 2023<\/strong>, marking a 0.7-point decline.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Highest in Bihar (25.8) <\/strong>and <strong>Lowest in Tamil Nadu (12);<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Total Fertility Rate (TFR):<\/strong> Dropped to <strong>1.9 in 2023<\/strong>, after remaining steady at <strong>2.0 in 2021 and 2022<\/strong>.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is the first decline in TFR in two years, pushing India further below the replacement fertility level of <strong>2.1 children per woman<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Highest TFR in Bihar (2.8) <\/strong>and <strong>Lowest TFR in Delhi (1.2);<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/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=\"f2f2f1\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"499\" height=\"471\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/09\/birth-rate.png\" alt=\"birth-rate\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-53195\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f2f2f1; width:325px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/09\/birth-rate.png 499w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/09\/birth-rate-300x283.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 499px) 100vw, 499px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f1f0f0\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"487\" height=\"471\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/09\/total-fertility-rate.png\" alt=\"total-fertility-rate\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-53194\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f1f0f0; width:313px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/09\/total-fertility-rate.png 487w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/09\/total-fertility-rate-300x290.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 487px) 100vw, 487px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Mortality Trends:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Crude Death Rate (CDR):<\/strong> Declined from <strong>6.8 in 2022 to 6.4 in 2023<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Infant Mortality Rate (IMR):<\/strong> Fell to <strong>25 in 2023<\/strong>, a one-point drop from 2022 and a <strong>seven-point decline over five years<\/strong>.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>One in every 40 infants dies <\/strong>before completing the first year of life.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/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=\"f0efee\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"492\" height=\"470\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-29.png\" alt=\"death rate\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-53189\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f0efee; width:326px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-29.png 492w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-29-300x287.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 492px) 100vw, 492px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f2f1f0\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"498\" height=\"470\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/09\/infant-mortality-rate.png\" alt=\"infant-mortality-rate\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-53193\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f2f1f0; width:350px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/09\/infant-mortality-rate.png 498w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/09\/infant-mortality-rate-300x283.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 498px) 100vw, 498px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Rising Elderly Population:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The proportion of the elderly (aged 60+) increased by <strong>0.7 percentage points<\/strong>, reaching <strong>9.7% of the total population<\/strong> in 2023, indicating a gradual move towards population ageing.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Highest elderly share:<\/strong> Kerala (15%)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lowest elderly share:<\/strong> Assam (7.6%), Delhi (7.7%), and Jharkhand (7.6%)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB):<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>National SRB:<\/strong><strong>917 girls per 1,000 boys<\/strong> in 2023, reflecting a three-point improvement from the previous period.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Highest SRB:<\/strong> Chhattisgarh (974), Kerala (971)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Lowest SRB:<\/strong> Uttarakhand (868)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>However, <strong>Bihar, Delhi, Maharashtra, and Haryana<\/strong> remain among the States and UTs with SRBs below 900. Bihar\u2019s SRB continues to decline, falling from <strong>964 in 2020 to 897 in 2023<\/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=\"f4f4f3\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1009\" height=\"467\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/09\/sex-ratio-at-birth-1.png\" alt=\"sex-ratio-at-birth\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-53192\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f4f4f3; width:594px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/09\/sex-ratio-at-birth-1.png 1009w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/09\/sex-ratio-at-birth-1-300x139.png 300w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/09\/sex-ratio-at-birth-1-768x355.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1009px) 100vw, 1009px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Understanding Total Fertility Rate (TFR)<\/strong><br>&#8211; It measures the average number of children a woman is expected to have during her reproductive years.<br>&#8211; A <strong>TFR of 2.1<\/strong> is considered the <strong>replacement level,<\/strong> meaning the population size remains stable across generations.<br>&#8211; A drop below this threshold suggests:<br>1. Slower population growth<br>2. Potential future aging of the population<br>3. Shifts in family planning and societal norms<br>&#8211; <strong>Why Is Fertility Declining?<\/strong><br>1. Increased female literacy and workforce participation;<br>2. Delayed marriages and childbearing;<br>3. Urbanization and rising cost of living;<br>4. Greater reproductive autonomy and access to contraception;<br>5. Migration of youth for education and employment abroad;<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Significance of Sample Registration Survey (SRS) Report 2023<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Reliable Vital Statistics: <\/strong>Indicators like Birth rate, Death rate, IMR, MMR, and TFR are essential for tracking population growth, health outcomes, and development goals.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>For example, decline in TFR<\/strong> in two years signals a demographic transition with long-term implications for<strong> labor markets, aging, and social services.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Policy and Funding Decisions:<\/strong> SRS data is used by the Ministry of Health, NITI Aayog, and State governments to:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Allocate health budgets;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Design maternal and child health programs;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Monitor progress toward UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/health\/indias-infant-mortality-rate-touches-low-of-25-down-from-40-in-2013\/article70011215.ece\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Source: TH<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The latest Sample Registration Survey (SRS) Statistical Report 2023, released by the Office of the Registrar General of India, points to falling fertility and birth rates, improved survival outcomes, and a rising elderly population.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Significance of Sample Registration Survey (SRS) Report 2023<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Reliable Vital Statistics: Indicators like Birth rate, Death rate, IMR, MMR, and TFR are essential for tracking population growth, health outcomes, and development goals.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">For example, decline in TFR in two years signals a demographic transition with long-term implications for labor markets, aging, and social services.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/05-09-2025\/india-fertility-birth-rate-decline\" 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-53185","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\/53185","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=53185"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53185\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53210,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53185\/revisions\/53210"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53185"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53185"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53185"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}