Historical trends

India’s total fertility rate, children per woman. The latest two survey rounds remain below replacement level.

Milestones in the magazine: early family planning in 1971; improved healthcare in 1981; rising female education in 1991; and growing urbanisation and women’s empowerment by 2011.

Fertility rate

The national figure masks a rural–urban divide.

Rural India

2.1

India overall

2.0

Urban India

1.6

28states and Union Territories below replacement

7at or above replacement level

Highest NFHS-6 rate: Bihar, 2.7. Lowest: Andaman & Nicobar Islands, 0.9.

Few outliers

Select a state or territory to compare NFHS-5 with NFHS-6.

Place

—NFHS-5 (2019–21)

—NFHS-6 (2023–24)

Seven states and Union Territories are at or above 2.1 in the latest survey. The chart in the source spans all 36.

Altered course

Years from the onset to completion of the first demographic transition, as compared in the magazine.

India’s transition took 45 years, from 1975 to 2020; China’s took 20 years. The historical comparisons span different centuries.