Fertility Trends of Modern India. A Shrouded Reality

Essay from the year 2019 in the subject Geography / Earth Science - Demographics, Urban Management, Planning, grade: 9.8/10, , language: English, abstract: This paper aspires to quantify the relationship of the toppling fertility rates with a score of other factors. It does so by describing the demographic, sociological and economic ramifications of each scenario. Furthermore, it also focuses on the possibility of Indiäs booming working-age population, nay, demographic transition coming to a grinding halt over the next two decades giving way to an ageing population with disastrous implications for our economy.

The big story out of the new Sample Registration Survey (2018) data for India is undoubtedly the continuing rapid fall of fertility rates. But behind this statistic lies a more convoluted reality. Despite wide regional variations, the country¿s TFR is already at the replacement rate. These readings suggest a big change in Indiäs demographic trajectory. India has entered a 37-year period of demographic dividend rendered by a bulge in the working-age population. Many Asian economies- Japan, South Korea, China-were able to utilize this demographic dividend to bolster economic growth and productivity. But this demographic window of opportunity is short-lived. In order to maximize the demographic dividend, concrete policy formulation is the need of the hour.