India is estimated to reach a population of 1.46 billion this year. While the country remains the world바카라s most populus nation, the total fertility rate has fallen below the replacement rate, according to a United Nations report.
The UNFPA's 2025 State of World Population (SOWP) Report, The Real Fertility Crisis, has said that the subcontinent must start addressing unmet reproductive goals. The report found that India's total fertility rate has declined to 1.9 births per woman, falling below the replacement level of 2.1. This means Indian women are having fewer children than needed to maintain the population size from one generation to the next, without migration.
The fertility crisis, says the report, is not about being over or underpopulated, but about allowing citizens to make 바카라free and informed choices바카라 about sex, contraception and the decision to start a family. The report also reveals key shifts in population composition, fertility, and life expectancy, signalling a major demographic transition. Millions of people are not able to realise their real fertility goals, it says.
However, it also noted that despite the decreasing birth rate, India's youth population remains at 24 per cent in the age bracket of 0-14, 17 percent in 10-19, and 26 per cent in 10-24. Sixty-eight per cent of the population is between 15 to 64 years, that is of working age. About seven per cent of the population is elderly (65 and older). However, this figure is expected to rise in the next few decades as life expectancy improves. As of 2025, life expectancy at birth is projected to be 71 years for men and 74 years for women.
