Sun May 11 16:24:11 UTC 2025: ## India’s Fertility Rate Remains Steady, Reveals New Report

**New Delhi, May 11, 2025** – India’s Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has remained stable at 2.0 in 2021, according to the latest Sample Registration System (SRS) report released by the Registrar General of India (RGI). This figure is unchanged from 2020. While the national average suggests a stable population, significant regional variations exist. Bihar reported the highest TFR at 3.0, while Delhi and West Bengal reported the lowest at 1.4.

The report also highlights significant demographic shifts. The proportion of the population aged 0-14 has decreased from 41.2% in 1971 to 24.8% in 2021, while the economically active population (15-59 years) has increased from 53.4% to 66.2% during the same period. The elderly population (60+) has also grown, with Kerala showing the highest percentage (14.4%) of those aged 60 and above. Conversely, Bihar, Assam, and Delhi have the lowest percentages. The mean age at marriage for women has risen from 19.3 years in 1990 to 22.5 years in 2021.

The SRS report, the largest annual demographic survey in India, contradicts the Finance Minister’s 2024 interim budget announcement of a high-power committee to address “fast population growth.” While the committee is yet to be formed, the SRS data indicates a national TFR at or near the replacement level (2.1). A more comprehensive picture is expected following the completion of the long-delayed Census, last conducted in 2011. The report notes that several states have already reached or are near the replacement fertility rate.

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