Why in the News?

According to the Sample Registration System (SRS) 2021 report, the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in India remains unchanged at 2.0 children per woman, the same as in 2020.

Also, the annual crude birth rates for Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Kerala are declining at 2x the rate of the national average.

Important Highlights of the SRS, 2021:

[A] Birth Rate Trends :

• India’s crude birth rate in 2021 was 3, declining at 1.12% annually between 2016 and 2021.
• Fastest declines were seen in Tamil Nadu (2.35%), Delhi (2.23%), and Kerala (2.05%).
• Other states with above-average decline: Maharashtra (1.57%), Gujarat (1.24%), Odisha (1.34%), Himachal Pradesh (1.29%), Haryana (1.21%), J&K (1.47%).
• Slowest declines: Rajasthan (0.48%), Bihar (0.86%), Chhattisgarh & Jharkhand (0.98%), Assam & MP (1.05%), West Bengal (1.08%), UP (1.09%).
• Rise in registered births noted in 11 regions, including Bihar, Rajasthan, UP, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, J&K, Ladakh, Lakshadweep, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, and Nagaland.

[B] Total Fertility Rate (TFR) and Demographic Shifts:

• India’s TFR in 2021 stayed at 0, unchanged from 2020.
• Highest TFR: Bihar (3.0); Lowest TFR: Delhi and West Bengal (1.4).
• States below or at replacement level:
  • TFR 1.5: Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, J&K, Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab
  • TFR 1.6: Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka
  • TFR 1.8: Odisha, Uttarakhand
  • TFR 2.0: Gujarat, Haryana
  • TFR 2.1: Assam
• Age Structure Shift (1971–2021):
  • Children (0–14): declined from 41.2% to 24.8%
  • Working-age (15–59): rose from 53.4% to 66.2%
  • Elderly (60+): increased from 6.0% to 9.0%
  • Aged 65+: grew from 5.3% to 5.9%
• Highest elderly population: Kerala (14.4%), Tamil Nadu (12.9%), Himachal Pradesh (12.3%)
• Lowest elderly population: Bihar (6.9%), Assam (7.0%), Delhi (7.1%)
• Mean female marriage age rose from 3 years (1990) to 22.5 years (2021).

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