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.

Total Fertility Rate: Telangana data was reported at 1.500 NA in 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1.600 NA for 2019. Total Fertility Rate: Telangana data is updated yearly, averaging 1.700 NA from Dec 2014 (Median) to 2020, with 7 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.800 NA in 2015 and a record low of 1.500 NA in 2020. Total Fertility Rate: Telangana data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAH006: Vital Statistics: Total Fertility Rate.

Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: per 1000 Population: Punjab data was reported at 14.300 NA in 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 14.500 NA for 2019. Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: per 1000 Population: Punjab data is updated yearly, averaging 17.000 NA from Dec 1997 (Median) to 2020, with 23 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 22.400 NA in 1998 and a record low of 14.300 NA in 2020. Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: per 1000 Population: Punjab data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAH002: Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: by States.

India fertility rate for 2025 is 2.11, a 0.8% decline from 2024.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>India fertility rate for 2024 was <strong>2.12</strong>, a <strong>7.44% increase</strong> from 2023.</li>
<li>India fertility rate for 2023 was <strong>1.98</strong>, a <strong>0.95% decline</strong> from 2022.</li>
<li>India fertility rate for 2022 was <strong>1.99</strong>, a <strong>0.99% decline</strong> from 2021.</li>
</ul>Total fertility rate represents the number of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her childbearing years and bear children in accordance with age-specific fertility rates of the specified year.

India birth rate for 2025 is 16.55, a 1.19% decline from 2024.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>India birth rate for 2024 was <strong>16.75</strong>, a <strong>3.74% increase</strong> from 2023.</li>
<li>India birth rate for 2023 was <strong>16.15</strong>, a <strong>1.16% decline</strong> from 2022.</li>
<li>India birth rate for 2022 was <strong>16.34</strong>, a <strong>0.94% decline</strong> from 2021.</li>
</ul>Crude birth rate indicates the number of live births occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear. Subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate provides the rate of natural increase, which is equal to the rate of population change in the absence of migration.

Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: per 1000 Population: West Bengal data was reported at 14.600 NA in 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 14.900 NA for 2019. Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: per 1000 Population: West Bengal data is updated yearly, averaging 17.200 NA from Dec 1997 (Median) to 2020, with 23 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 21.300 NA in 1998 and a record low of 14.600 NA in 2020. Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: per 1000 Population: West Bengal data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAH002: Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: by States.

The crude birth rate in India saw no significant changes in 2023 in comparison to the previous year 2022 and remained at around 16.15 live births per 1,000 inhabitants. But still, the rate reached its lowest value of the observation period in 2023. The crude birth rate is the annual number of live births in a given population, expressed per 1,000 people. When looked at in unison with the crude death rate, the rate of natural increase can be determined.Find more statistics on other topics about India with key insights such as death rate, total fertility rate, and life expectancy of women at birth.

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

Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: per 1000 Population: Rajasthan data was reported at 23.500 NA in 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 23.700 NA for 2019. Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: per 1000 Population: Rajasthan data is updated yearly, averaging 27.200 NA from Dec 1997 (Median) to 2020, with 23 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 31.600 NA in 1998 and a record low of 23.500 NA in 2020. Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: per 1000 Population: Rajasthan data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAH002: Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: by States.

Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: per 1000 Population: Telangana data was reported at 16.400 NA in 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 16.700 NA for 2019. Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: per 1000 Population: Telangana data is updated yearly, averaging 17.200 NA from Dec 2014 (Median) to 2020, with 7 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 18.000 NA in 2014 and a record low of 16.400 NA in 2020. Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: per 1000 Population: Telangana data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAH002: Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: by States.

Total Fertility Rate: India: Urban data was reported at 1.600 NA in 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1.700 NA for 2019. Total Fertility Rate: India: Urban data is updated yearly, averaging 1.800 NA from Dec 2005 (Median) to 2020, with 16 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2.100 NA in 2005 and a record low of 1.600 NA in 2020. Total Fertility Rate: India: Urban data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAH006: Vital Statistics: Total Fertility Rate.

Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: per 1000 Population: Delhi data was reported at 14.200 NA in 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 14.400 NA for 2019. Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: per 1000 Population: Delhi data is updated yearly, averaging 17.800 NA from Dec 1997 (Median) to 2020, with 23 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 20.300 NA in 2000 and a record low of 14.200 NA in 2020. Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: per 1000 Population: Delhi data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAH002: Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: by States.

Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: per 1000 Population: Tamil Nadu: Urban data was reported at 13.600 NA in 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 14.000 NA for 2019. Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: per 1000 Population: Tamil Nadu: Urban data is updated yearly, averaging 15.800 NA from Dec 1997 (Median) to 2020, with 23 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 18.200 NA in 1999 and a record low of 13.600 NA in 2020. Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: per 1000 Population: Tamil Nadu: Urban data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAH002: Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: by States.

In 2023, the infant mortality rate in India was at about 24.5 deaths per 1,000 live births, a significant decrease from previous years. Infant mortality as an indicatorThe infant mortality rate is the number of deaths of children under one year of age per 1,000 live births. This rate is an important key indicator for a country’s health and standard of living; a low infant mortality rate indicates a high standard of healthcare. Causes of infant mortality include premature birth, sepsis or meningitis, sudden infant death syndrome, and pneumonia. Globally, the infant mortality rate has shrunk from 63 infant deaths per 1,000 live births to 27 since 1990 and is forecast to drop to 8 infant deaths per 1,000 live births by the year 2100. India’s rural problemWith 32 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, India is neither among the countries with the highest nor among those with the lowest infant mortality rate. Its decrease indicates an increase in medical care and hygiene, as well as a decrease in female infanticide. Increasing life expectancy at birth is another indicator that shows that the living conditions of the Indian population are improving. Still, India’s inhabitants predominantly live in rural areas, where standards of living as well as access to medical care and hygiene are traditionally lower and more complicated than in cities. Public health programs are thus put in place by the government to ensure further improvement.

Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: per 1000 Population: Assam data was reported at 20.800 NA in 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 21.000 NA for 2019. Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: per 1000 Population: Assam data is updated yearly, averaging 23.600 NA from Dec 1997 (Median) to 2020, with 23 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 27.900 NA in 1998 and a record low of 20.800 NA in 2020. Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: per 1000 Population: Assam data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAH002: Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: by States.

Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: per 1000 Population: Mizoram data was reported at 14.400 NA in 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 14.500 NA for 2019. Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: per 1000 Population: Mizoram data is updated yearly, averaging 16.200 NA from Dec 1997 (Median) to 2020, with 23 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 19.100 NA in 2004 and a record low of 14.400 NA in 2020. Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: per 1000 Population: Mizoram data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAH002: Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: by States.

Abstract (en): A Data Guide for this study is available as a web page and for download. The India Human Development Survey 2005 (IHDS) is a nationally representative, multi-topic survey of 41,554 households in 1,503 villages and 971 urban neighborhoods across India. Two one-hour interviews in each household covered topics concerning health, education, employment, economic status, marriage, fertility, gender relations, and social capital. Children aged 8-11 completed short reading, writing and arithmetic tests. Additional village, school, and medical facility interviews are also available. ICPSR data undergo a confidentiality review and are altered when necessary to limit the risk of disclosure. ICPSR also routinely creates ready-to-go data files along with setups in the major statistical software formats as well as standard codebooks to accompany the data. In addition to these procedures, ICPSR performed the following processing steps for this data collection: Performed consistency checks.; Created variable labels and/or value labels.; Standardized missing values.; Checked for undocumented or out-of-range codes.. Response Rates: Response rates were calculated as 82 percent for the recontact sample, 98 percent for the new sample, and 92 percent for the total response rate. Datasets:DS0: Study-Level FilesDS1: IndividualDS2: HouseholdDS3: MedicalDS4: Non-ResidentDS5: Primary SchoolDS6: Birth HistoryDS7: VillageDS8: Crops Nationally representative sample of Indian households. Smallest Geographic Unit: state Nationally representative, multi-topic survey of 41,554 households in 1,503 villages and 971 urban neighborhoods across India. 2018-08-08 Added an updated version of the Data Guide documentation.2017-05-10 Added Data Guide.2016-02-16 This collection has been updated with a user guide and revised questionnaires obtained from the India Human Development Survey Documentation page.2013-06-17 The Household data (Part 2) were updated to add the following eight variables that had been mistakenly omitted from the dataset: NWORK, NFARM, NANIMAL, NAGWAGE, NNONAG, NSALARY, NBUSINESS, and INCOTHER. The Household data codebook was also updated.2010-06-29 Additional documentation file has been added.2010-05-04 Additional documentation files have been added.2010-03-25 At the principal investigator's request, an ID variable was removed.2010-02-17 Added village-level and crop data as new parts2009-08-25 Added updated versions of the Medical and Primary School questionnaires.2009-06-22 Added updated versions of the Household and the Individual datasets, and added Medical, Non-Resident, School, and Birth History datasets.2009-02-10 Added the original questionnaires that were used during data collection.2008-12-11 At the principal investigator's request, an ID variable was removed and the citation was updated2008-08-22 The title for Part 1 has been revised and response rate information has been added. Funding insitution(s): United States Department of Health and Human Services. National Institutes of Health. Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01HD041455). record abstracts coded on-site observation cognitive assessment test face-to-face interview mixed mode on-site questionnaire

Abstract

The Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI) aims to understand the situation of India’s elderly population by collecting data on their health, social situations, and economic circumstances. It will provide a foundation for innovative, rigorous, and multidisciplinary studies of aging in India that will inform policy and advance scientific knowledge. Its goal is to provide data harmonized with the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and its sister studies around the world. A pilot study has been conducted that includes household survey data, Computer-Assisted Personal Interviews (CAPI) and molecular biomarkers. The results of the pilot study will inform the design of a full-scale, nationally representative LASI, with a sample of roughly 30,000 to be followed longitudinally (with refresher populations added as needed). Due to its harmonized design with parallel international studies, LASI will contribute to scientific insights and policy development in other countries as well. LASI will ultimately be part of a worldwide effort aimed at understanding how different institutions, cultures, and policies can understand and prepare for population ageing.

Documentation

You can download the pilot data at the Harvard Program on the Global Demography of Aging website

Methodology

The LASI pilot survey targeted 1,600 individuals aged 45 and older and their spouses, and will inform the design and rollout of a full-scale, nationally representative LASI survey. The expectation is that LASI will be a biennial survey and will be representative of Indians aged 45 and older, with no upper age limit.

1,600 age-qualifying individuals were drawn from a stratified, multistage area probability sampling design. After a series of pre-pilot studies designed to test the instrument and the key ideas behind it, pilot data were collected through face-to-face interviews over three month time periods. Descriptive analyses of the data will be performed and lessons will be drawn to inform the launching of a full-scale LASI survey.

The LASI pilot survey was conducted in four states: Karnataka, Kerala, Punjab, and Rajasthan. To capture regional variation we have included two northern states (Punjab and Rajasthan) and two southern states (Karnataka and Kerala). Karnataka and Rajasthan were included in the Study on Global AGEing and Adult Health (SAGE), which will enable us to compare our findings with the SAGE data. The inclusion of Kerala and Punjab demonstrates our aim to obtain a broader representation of India, where geographic variations accompanied by socioeconomic and cultural differences call for careful study and deliberation. Punjab is an example of an economically developed state, while Rajasthan is relatively poor, with very low female literacy, high fertility, and persisting gender disparities. Kerala, which is known for its relatively efficient health care system, has undergone rapid social development and is included as a potential harbinger of how other Indian states might evolve.

Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: per 1000 Population: Meghalaya: Rural data was reported at 25.100 NA in 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 25.500 NA for 2019. Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: per 1000 Population: Meghalaya: Rural data is updated yearly, averaging 26.400 NA from Dec 1997 (Median) to 2020, with 23 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 31.800 NA in 1998 and a record low of 24.000 NA in 2018. Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: per 1000 Population: Meghalaya: Rural data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAH002: Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: by States.

Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: per 1000 Population: Uttar Pradesh data was reported at 25.100 NA in 2020. This records a decrease from the previous number of 25.400 NA for 2019. Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: per 1000 Population: Uttar Pradesh data is updated yearly, averaging 28.700 NA from Dec 1997 (Median) to 2020, with 23 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 32.800 NA in 2000 and a record low of 25.100 NA in 2020. Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: per 1000 Population: Uttar Pradesh data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. The data is categorized under India Premium Database’s Demographic – Table IN.GAH002: Vital Statistics: Birth Rate: by States.