New Delhi: In a country that once worried about having too many mouths to feed, a quieter and more unexpected concern is now surfacing. Indian families are choosing to have fewer children, and it is starting to show.
A recent UN report reveals that India’s fertility rate has dipped below the replacement level, meaning that, on average, women are now having fewer children than needed to maintain the population size over time. While the total population is still growing and currently stands at 1.46 billion (the largest in the world), the nature of that growth is changing.
So what is happening, and why should you care?
Back in 1960, the average Indian woman had nearly six children. At that time, India was grappling with rapid population growth, limited access to education for women and almost no reproductive healthcare.
Fast forward to today. The average woman now has fewer than two children. According to the UNFPA’s State of World Population 2025 report, India’s total fertility rate has fallen to 1.9, below the “replacement rate” of 2.1 – the threshold needed for a stable population without migration.
This is a important milestone. It means that India is now part of a global shift that is quietly reshaping societies, fewer babies, aging populations and a new set of economic and social challenges.
Not a Crisis
The UN is not calling this a crisis. In fact, it warns against the fear-driven headlines about “population collapse”. What is more urgent, the report argues, is the unmet desire of millions of people who still do not have the power to decide if, when or how many children they want.
In simple terms – this is not only about numbers. It is about choice.
As Andrea Wojnar, UNFPA’s India head, puts it, “The real demographic dividend comes when everyone has the freedom and means to make informed reproductive choices.”
Despite falling birth rates, India still has one of the youngest populations in the world – nearly a quarter of its citizens are under 14 and two-thirds are of working age. This is both an opportunity and a responsibility. With the right investments in jobs, education and healthcare, India could harness this “youth bulge” for massive economic growth.
But it is a narrow window. As life expectancy rises (now 74 for women, 71 for men), the proportion of elderly citizens will grow too. In the coming decades, India will face a very different problem – how to care for an aging population without enough younger workers to support them.
What’s Behind the Shift?
The drop in fertility did not happen overnight. It is the result of decades of progress – better education for girls, wider access to contraception, urbanization and changing social norms. More women are staying in school, working and making decisions about their lives. That empowerment, experts say, is what is really driving the change.
Still, the report warns that inequality runs deep. In some states and communities, access to reproductive healthcare remains limited. Many women, especially in rural or low-income areas, still have little say in reproductive decisions.
India is not alone in facing these changes. Many countries, from South Korea to Spain, are seeing similar patterns – fewer births, smaller families and longer lives.
The takeaway? Falling fertility is not failure. It is a sign that more people are making decisions on their own terms. The real challenge now is making sure that freedom extends to everyone, regardless of where they live, what they earn or who they are.
