FALL IN FERTILITY RATE
The Total Fertility Rate(TFR) or the average number of children per woman, has declined from 2.2 to 2.0 at the all-India level.
NFHS-
The National Family Health Survey, is the most thorough survey on health and nutrition of India's citizens. Since 1992-93, the NFHS provided various health, nutrition, family welfare and social indicators at regular intervals.
IMPORTANCE OF NFHS-
- NFHS serves as a mirror of India's achievement in maternal and child health.
- It surveys on aspects like antenatal care, institutional delivery, child immunization, malnourishment, age at marriage, fertility, contraception, sexual behavior, gender based violence, women's empowerment, access and utilization of health care services.
DECLINE IN FERTILITY RATE-
- The fifth survey of NFHS shows the fertility at 1.6 in urban areas and 2.1 in rural areas.
- The TFR has declined from 2.2 in 2015-16 to 2.0 in 2019-21 at the all India level.
- Countries experiencing below replacement fertility lower than 2.1 children per woman indicates that a generation is not producing enough children to replace.
- In the long run, there will have a zero potential.
From the declining of TFR to 2.0, there are 3 highlights-
- A diminished challenge to development.
- The importance of investing in public health and education with skills.
- The need to focus on environmental protection.
| The country has been aiming for a TFR of 2.1. A fall to 2.0 means, the goal of population stabilization is achieved. |
There is also a stabilization in growth of Human Resources. The younger population profile for the next 2-3 decades will provide an opportunity for accelerated economic growth.
TFR IN DIFFERENT STATES
| STATE | NFHS-5 | NFHS-4 |
| Bihar | 3.0 | 3.4 |
| Meghalaya | 2.9 | 3.0 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 2.4 | 2.7 |
| Jharkand | 2.3 | 2.6 |
| Manipur | 2.2 | 2.6 |
| West Bengal | 1.6 | 1.8 |
| Maharashtra | 1.7 | 1.9 |
| Karnataka | 1.7 | 1.8 |
| Andhra Pradesh | 1.7 | 1.8 |
The latest data also show significant progress on several indicators related to fertility, family planning, age at marriage and women empowerment, all of which contributed to the decrease in TFR.
F
- Increase in contraceptive methods which stands at 56.5 % in 2019-21 against 47.8 % in 2015-16.
- The share of condoms is 9.5 % against 5.6% .
- The uptake of female sterilization has gone up to 38% against 36 % in 2015-16.
- Increase in cost of children education is also compelling many parents to restrict the number of children.
- Child marriages, leading anemic conditions is also a reason for low TFR.
The increased number of modern contraception means that the total unmet need for family planning, which has been a major issue in the past, has come down to 9.4% in 2019-21 against 12.9% in 2015-16.
The quality of care in family planning has shown significant improvement with 62% of current users reporting that they received information on side effects from service providers. This has increased from 46% in the last survey.
