India is home to one of the world’s youngest populations. Yet the number of children being born has fallen to a level that could reshape the country's demographic future.
According to the Registrar General of India's Sample Registration System (SRS) Statistical Report 2024, the country's total fertility rate (TFR) has dropped to 1.9 births per woman, below the replacement level of 2.1 needed for one generation to replace itself in the absence of migration. When fertility remains below that level for a prolonged period, the population gradually ages as fewer young people enter it and the share of older people rises.
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India, however, is entering this era at a much lower income level than China did.