India’s Population Hits 146.39 Crore: UNFPA Report

Key Highlights:

• UNFPA’s 2025 report estimates India’s population at 146.39 crore, surpassing China.
• India’s Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has declined to 1.9, below the replacement level of 2.1.
• Population expected to peak at 170 crore in 40 years before declining.
• 68% of Indians are in the working-age group (15–64 years).
• Life expectancy (2025): 71 years for men, 74 years for women.
• Elderly population (65+) currently at 7%, projected to rise steadily.

Detailed Insights:

• The declining TFR reflects successful family planning policies, increasing urbanisation, and changing socio-economic dynamics.
• Despite a shrinking fertility rate, India’s youth bulge provides an opportunity to harness the demographic dividend through targeted investment in education, health, and employment.
• A rising elderly population demands pension reforms, geriatric care infrastructure, and social safety nets.
• The UNFPA stresses the importance of reproductive agency, urging policies that support informed and voluntary reproductive choices over coercive population control measures.
• Census delays could impact data-driven policy formulation and welfare delivery across sectors.

Scientific/Technical Concepts Involved:

• Total Fertility Rate (TFR): Average number of children a woman is expected to have during her reproductive years.
• Replacement Level Fertility: The TFR at which a population exactly replaces itself (2.1 in most countries).
• Demographic Dividend: Economic growth potential arising from a larger proportion of working-age population.
• Reproductive Agency: The ability of individuals to make autonomous decisions about reproduction and family planning.

Mains Mock Question:
India’s demographic profile is undergoing a significant shift. Analyse the implications of declining fertility rates and an ageing population on India’s socio-economic future. Suggest policy interventions to address these changes. (250 words