Total Fertility Rate, Crude Birth Rate
Why it matters?
India’s fertility and birth rates are falling. Regional imbalances persist, signalling population stabilization but also a risk of ageing and shrinking workforce.18 States/UTs recorded TFR below replacement level; elderly share rose to 9.7%.
What you should know?
Total Fertility Rate
TFR is the average number of children a woman is expected to have during her lifetime, given current fertility patterns.
Global Benchmark:
Replacement level fertility = 2.1.
This is the level at which a population exactly replaces itself from one generation to the next, without migration.
India’s Trend:
TFR fell from 2.0 in 2022 to 1.9 in 2023.
Rural India reached 2.1 (replacement level) for the first time.
Urban TFR is even lower (~1.6–1.7), raising concerns of future ageing population.
Crude Birth Rate (CBR)
CBR is the number of live births per 1,000 people in a given year.
India’s Trend:
Declined from 19.1 (2022) to 18.4 (2023).
This shows fewer children are being born relative to population size.