The Total Fertility Rate (TFR), or the average number of children per woman, has declined further from 2.2 reported in 2015-16 to 2.0 at the all-India level, according to the latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS) released by the Indian Health Ministry Wednesday.

According to the United Nations’ population division, countries experiencing below-replacement fertility — lower than 2.1 children per woman — indicates that a generation is not producing enough children to replace itself, eventually leading to an outright reduction in population.

Dr K S James, director at International Institute for Population Sciences, which is the designated nodal agency to conduct NFHS-5, told The Indian Express that a TFR of 2 is a “definite indicator” of stability of population in the long term in the country.

The number means two parents are replacing two children. In the long run, we will have a potential growth rate of zero. It is not immediate… A TFR of 2.1 is something a country wants to achieve. That way it is a very huge development because of maternal and child health improvement,” James, the principal investigator of the study, said.

Professor K Srinath Reddy, one of the country’s top public health experts and president of Public Health Foundation of India, highlighted three key pointers from the TFR declining to 2: a diminished challenge to development, the importance of investing in public health and education with skills, and the need to focus on environmental protection.

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/fertility-rate-falls-to-below-replacement-level-signals-population-is-stabilising-7639986/