In 2023, the total fertility rate in children per woman in India was 1.98. Between 1960 and 2023, the figure dropped by 3.94, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

Fertility rate, total (births per woman) in India was reported at 1.975 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. India - Fertility rate, total (births per woman) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on August of 2025.

The fertility rate of a country is the average number of children that women from that country will have throughout their reproductive years. From 1880 until 1970, India's fertility rate was very consistent, and women of this time had an average of 5.7 to six children over the course of their lifetime. In the second half of the twentieth century, the fertility rate dropped considerably, and has continued to drop in the 2000s. This decrease in the rate of fertility follows a common correlation between quality of life and fertility, where the fertility rate decreases as the standard of living improves. In 1947, after almost a century, the Indian independence movement finally achieved its goal, and India was able to self rule. From this point onwards, Indian socio-economic improvements led to a decreased fertility rate, which is expected to fall to 2.2 in 2020.

India IN: Total Fertility Rate: Children per Woman data was reported at 2.030 Person in 2021. This records a decrease from the previous number of 2.050 Person for 2020. India IN: Total Fertility Rate: Children per Woman data is updated yearly, averaging 2.910 Person from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2021, with 32 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4.040 Person in 1990 and a record low of 2.030 Person in 2021. India IN: Total Fertility Rate: Children per Woman data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s India – Table IN.OECD.GGI: Social: Demography: Non OECD Member: Annual.

India: Fertility rate, births per woman: The latest value from 2022 is 2.01 births per woman, a decline from 2.03 births per woman in 2021. In comparison, the world average is 2.51 births per woman, based on data from 192 countries. Historically, the average for India from 1960 to 2022 is 4.01 births per woman. The minimum value, 2.01 births per woman, was reached in 2022 while the maximum of 5.98 births per woman was recorded in 1964.

India Vital Statistics: Age Specific Fertility Rates: per 1000 Female Population: Age: Rural: 20-24 data was reported at 152.300 NA in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 192.700 NA for 2015. India Vital Statistics: Age Specific Fertility Rates: per 1000 Female Population: Age: Rural: 20-24 data is updated yearly, averaging 210.600 NA from Dec 2010 (Median) to 2016, with 7 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 218.500 NA in 2010 and a record low of 152.300 NA in 2016. India Vital Statistics: Age Specific Fertility Rates: per 1000 Female Population: Age: Rural: 20-24 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Census of India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAH007: Vital Statistics: Age Specific Fertility Rate: by Age Group.

In 2023, the crude birth rate in live births per 1,000 inhabitants in India stood at 16.15. Between 1960 and 2023, the figure dropped by 26.75, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

Adolescent fertility rate (births per 1,000 women ages 15-19) in India was reported at 14.06 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. India - Adolescent fertility rate (births per 1,000 women ages 15-19) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Today, globally, women of childbearing age have an average of approximately 2.2 children over the course of their lifetime. In pre-industrial times, most women could expect to have somewhere between five and ten live births throughout their lifetime; however, the demographic transition then sees fertility rates fall significantly. Looking ahead, it is believed that the global fertility rate will fall below replacement level in the 2050s, which will eventually lead to population decline when life expectancy plateaus. Recent decades Between the 1950s and 1970s, the global fertility rate was roughly five children per woman - this was partly due to the post-WWII baby boom in many countries, on top of already-high rates in less-developed countries. The drop around 1960 can be attributed to China's "Great Leap Forward", where famine and disease in the world's most populous country saw the global fertility rate drop by roughly 0.5 children per woman. Between the 1970s and today, fertility rates fell consistently, although the rate of decline noticeably slowed as the baby boomer generation then began having their own children. Replacement level fertility Replacement level fertility, i.e. the number of children born per woman that a population needs for long-term stability, is approximately 2.1 children per woman. Populations may continue to grow naturally despite below-replacement level fertility, due to reduced mortality and increased life expectancy, however, these will plateau with time and then population decline will occur. It is believed that the global fertility rate will drop below replacement level in the mid-2050s, although improvements in healthcare and living standards will see population growth continue into the 2080s when the global population will then start falling.

India Vital Statistics: Age Specific Fertility Rates: per 1000 Female Population: Age: 30-34 data was reported at 91.700 NA in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 77.600 NA for 2015. India Vital Statistics: Age Specific Fertility Rates: per 1000 Female Population: Age: 30-34 data is updated yearly, averaging 69.800 NA from Dec 2010 (Median) to 2016, with 7 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 91.700 NA in 2016 and a record low of 63.900 NA in 2013. India Vital Statistics: Age Specific Fertility Rates: per 1000 Female Population: Age: 30-34 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Census of India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAH007: Vital Statistics: Age Specific Fertility Rate: by Age Group.

India Vital Statistics: Age Specific Fertility Rates: per 1000 Female Population: Age: Urban: 45-49 data was reported at 2.500 NA in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 2.800 NA for 2015. India Vital Statistics: Age Specific Fertility Rates: per 1000 Female Population: Age: Urban: 45-49 data is updated yearly, averaging 1.100 NA from Dec 2010 (Median) to 2016, with 7 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.800 NA in 2015 and a record low of 0.800 NA in 2012. India Vital Statistics: Age Specific Fertility Rates: per 1000 Female Population: Age: Urban: 45-49 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Census of India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAH007: Vital Statistics: Age Specific Fertility Rate: by Age Group.

This horizontal bar chart displays fertility rate (births per woman) by country full name using the aggregation average, weighted by population female in India. The data is about countries per year.

Graph and download economic data for Fertility Rate, Total for India (SPDYNTFRTININD) from 1960 to 2023 about fertility, India, and rate.

The statistic displays the birth rate in India between 2009 and 2013. In 2009, the birth rate was around 19.8 births per 1,000 inhabitants, and has dropped slightly since. The fertility rate or the number of children born per woman in India can be found here.

Total Fertility Rate may be defined as average number of children that would be born to a woman if she experiences the current fertility pattern throughout her reproductive span (15-49 years). The total fertility rate is a more direct measure of the level of fertility than the birth rate, since it refers to births per woman. This indicator shows the potential for population change in a country. A TFR of 2.1 i.e., two children per women is considered the replacement rate for a population, resulting in relative stability in terms of total population numbers. Rates above two children per woman indicate population growing in size and whose median age is declining. Rates below two children per woman indicate population decreasing in size and growing older. Office of Registrar General, India estates TFR annually through Sample Registration System, a large scales demographic Survey Conducted by them.

In 2025, there are six countries, all in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the average woman of childbearing age can expect to have between 5-6 children throughout their lifetime. In fact, of the 20 countries in the world with the highest fertility rates, Afghanistan and Yemen are the only countries not found in Sub-Saharan Africa. High fertility rates in Africa With a fertility rate of almost six children per woman, Chad is the country with the highest fertility rate in the world. Population growth in Chad is among the highest in the world. Lack of healthcare access, as well as food instability, political instability, and climate change, are all exacerbating conditions that keep Chad's infant mortality rates high, which is generally the driver behind high fertility rates. This situation is common across much of the continent, and, although there has been considerable progress in recent decades, development in Sub-Saharan Africa is not moving as quickly as it did in other regions. Demographic transition While these countries have the highest fertility rates in the world, their rates are all on a generally downward trajectory due to a phenomenon known as the demographic transition. The third stage (of five) of this transition sees birth rates drop in response to decreased infant and child mortality, as families no longer feel the need to compensate for lost children. Eventually, fertility rates fall below replacement level (approximately 2.1 children per woman), which eventually leads to natural population decline once life expectancy plateaus. In some of the most developed countries today, low fertility rates are creating severe econoic and societal challenges as workforces are shrinking while aging populations are placin a greater burden on both public and personal resources.

The second National Family Health Survey (NFHS-2), conducted in 1998-99, provides information on fertility, mortality, family planning, and important aspects of nutrition, health, and health care. The International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) coordinated the survey, which collected information from a nationally representative sample of more than 90,000 ever-married women age 15-49. The NFHS-2 sample covers 99 percent of India's population living in all 26 states. This report is based on the survey data for 25 of the 26 states, however, since data collection in Tripura was delayed due to local problems in the state. IIPS also coordinated the first National Family Health Survey (NFHS-1) in 1992-93. Most of the types of information collected in NFHS-2 were also collected in the earlier survey, making it possible to identify trends over the intervening period of six and one-half years. In addition, the NFHS-2 questionnaire covered a number of new or expanded topics with important policy implications, such as reproductive health, women's autonomy, domestic violence, women's nutrition, anaemia, and salt iodization. The NFHS-2 survey was carried out in two phases. Ten states were surveyed in the first phase which began in November 1998 and the remaining states (except Tripura) were surveyed in the second phase which began in March 1999. The field staff collected information from 91,196 households in these 25 states and interviewed 89,199 eligible women in these households. In addition, the survey collected information on 32,393 children born in the three years preceding the survey. One health investigator on each survey team measured the height and weight of eligible women and children and took blood samples to assess the prevalence of anaemia. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS Three-quarters (73 percent) of the population lives in rural areas. The age distribution is typical of populations that have recently experienced a fertility decline, with relatively low proportions in the younger and older age groups. Thirty-six percent of the population is below age 15, and 5 percent is age 65 and above. The sex ratio is 957 females for every 1,000 males in rural areas but only 928 females for every 1,000 males in urban areas, suggesting that more men than women have migrated to urban areas. The survey provides a variety of demographic and socioeconomic background information. In the country as a whole, 82 percent of household heads are Hindu, 12 percent are Muslim, 3 percent are Christian, and 2 percent are Sikh. Muslims live disproportionately in urban areas, where they comprise 15 percent of household heads. Nineteen percent of household heads belong to scheduled castes, 9 percent belong to scheduled tribes, and 32 percent belong to other backward classes (OBCs). Two-fifths of household heads do not belong to any of these groups. Questions about housing conditions and the standard of living of households indicate some improvements since the time of NFHS-1. Sixty percent of households in India now have electricity and 39 percent have piped drinking water compared with 51 percent and 33 percent, respectively, at the time of NFHS-1. Sixty-four percent of households have no toilet facility compared with 70 percent at the time of NFHS-1. About three-fourths (75 percent) of males and half (51 percent) of females age six and above are literate, an increase of 6-8 percentage points from literacy rates at the time of NFHS-1. The percentage of illiterate males varies from 6-7 percent in Mizoram and Kerala to 37 percent in Bihar and the percentage of illiterate females varies from 11 percent in Mizoram and 15 percent in Kerala to 65 percent in Bihar. Seventy-nine percent of children age 6-14 are attending school, up from 68 percent in NFHS-1. The proportion of children attending school has increased for all ages, particularly for girls, but girls continue to lag behind boys in school attendance. Moreover, the disparity in school attendance by sex grows with increasing age of children. At age 6-10, 85 percent of boys attend school compared with 78 percent of girls. By age 15-17, 58 percent of boys attend school compared with 40 percent of girls. The percentage of girls 6-17 attending school varies from 51 percent in Bihar and 56 percent in Rajasthan to over 90 percent in Himachal Pradesh and Kerala. Women in India tend to marry at an early age. Thirty-four percent of women age 15-19 are already married including 4 percent who are married but gauna has yet to be performed. These proportions are even higher in the rural areas. Older women are more likely than younger women to have married at an early age: 39 percent of women currently age 45-49 married before age 15 compared with 14 percent of women currently age 15-19. Although this indicates that the proportion of women who marry young is declining rapidly, half the women even in the age group 20-24 have married before reaching the legal minimum age of 18 years. On average, women are five years younger than the men they marry. The median age at marriage varies from about 15 years in Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Andhra Pradesh to 23 years in Goa. As part of an increasing emphasis on gender issues, NFHS-2 asked women about their participation in household decisionmaking. In India, 91 percent of women are involved in decision-making on at least one of four selected topics. A much lower proportion (52 percent), however, are involved in making decisions about their own health care. There are large variations among states in India with regard to women's involvement in household decisionmaking. More than three out of four women are involved in decisions about their own health care in Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, and Punjab compared with about two out of five or less in Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, and Rajasthan. Thirty-nine percent of women do work other than housework, and more than two-thirds of these women work for cash. Only 41 percent of women who earn cash can decide independently how to spend the money that they earn. Forty-three percent of working women report that their earnings constitute at least half of total family earnings, including 18 percent who report that the family is entirely dependent on their earnings. Women's work-participation rates vary from 9 percent in Punjab and 13 percent in Haryana to 60-70 percent in Manipur, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh. FERTILITY AND FAMILY PLANNING Fertility continues to decline in India. At current fertility levels, women will have an average of 2.9 children each throughout their childbearing years. The total fertility rate (TFR) is down from 3.4 children per woman at the time of NFHS-1, but is still well above the replacement level of just over two children per woman. There are large variations in fertility among the states in India. Goa and Kerala have attained below replacement level fertility and Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Punjab are at or close to replacement level fertility. By contrast, fertility is 3.3 or more children per woman in Meghalaya, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Nagaland, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh. More than one-third to less than half of all births in these latter states are fourth or higher-order births compared with 7-9 percent of births in Kerala, Goa, and Tamil Nadu. Efforts to encourage the trend towards lower fertility might usefully focus on groups within the population that have higher fertility than average. In India, rural women and women from scheduled tribes and scheduled castes have somewhat higher fertility than other women, but fertility is particularly high for illiterate women, poor women, and Muslim women. Another striking feature is the high level of childbearing among young women. More than half of women age 20-49 had their first birth before reaching age 20, and women age 15-19 account for almost one-fifth of total fertility. Studies in India and elsewhere have shown that health and mortality risks increase when women give birth at such young ages?both for the women themselves and for their children. Family planning programmes focusing on women in this age group could make a significant impact on maternal and child health and help to reduce fertility. INFANT AND CHILD MORTALITY NFHS-2 provides estimates of infant and child mortality and examines factors associated with the survival of young children. During the five years preceding the survey, the infant mortality rate was 68 deaths at age 0-11 months per 1,000 live births, substantially lower than 79 per 1,000 in the five years preceding the NFHS-1 survey. The child mortality rate, 29 deaths at age 1-4 years per 1,000 children reaching age one, also declined from the corresponding rate of 33 per 1,000 in NFHS-1. Ninety-five children out of 1,000 born do not live to age five years. Expressed differently, 1 in 15 children die in the first year of life, and 1 in 11 die before reaching age five. Child-survival programmes might usefully focus on specific groups of children with particularly high infant and child mortality rates, such as children who live in rural areas, children whose mothers are illiterate, children belonging to scheduled castes or scheduled tribes, and children from poor households. Infant mortality rates are more than two and one-half times as high for women who did not receive any of the recommended types of maternity related medical care than for mothers who did receive all recommended types of care. HEALTH, HEALTH CARE, AND NUTRITION Promotion of maternal and child health has been one of the most important components of the Family Welfare Programme of the Government of India. One goal is for each pregnant woman to receive at least three antenatal check-ups plus two tetanus toxoid injections and a full course of iron and folic acid supplementation. In India, mothers of 65 percent of the children born in the three years preceding NFHS-2 received at least one antenatal

This scatter chart displays fertility rate (births per woman) against birth rate (per 1,000 people) in India. The data is filtered where the date is 2021. The data is about countries per year.

In 2023, the total fertility rate in India remained nearly unchanged at around 1.98 children per woman. Yet 2023 saw the lowest fertility rate in India with 1.98 children per woman. The total fertility rate is the average number of children that a woman of childbearing age (generally considered 15 to 44 years) is expected to have throughout her reproductive years. Unlike birth rates, which are based on the actual number of live births in a given population, fertility rates are estimates (similar to life expectancy) that apply to a hypothetical woman, as they assume that current patterns in age-specific fertility will remain constant throughout her reproductive years.Find more statistics on other topics about India with key insights such as life expectancy of men at birth, death rate, and life expectancy of women at birth.

This scatter chart displays rural population (people) against fertility rate (births per woman) in India. The data is filtered where the date is 2021. The data is about countries per year.