Allies of Indian prime minister push for bigger families - Taipei Times

DECLINING FERTILITY RATE:

Falling birthrates in many nations were leading to aging populations and economic strain, Andhra Pradesh’s chief minister said

Reuters, NEW DELHI

India may be the world’s most populous country, with 1.42 billion people and challenges like high youth unemployment, but powerful allies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi are championing larger families to counter a declining fertility rate.Even though the UN projects India’s population would keep rising for about four decades, peaking at about 1.7 billion, some policymakers and Hindu groups say the shift away from smaller families should begin now, including through government financial support.The nation’s total fertility rate (TFR), the average number of children per woman, declined to 2 in the 2019/2021 government assessment period, down from 3.4 in 1992/1993, due to increasing use of contraceptives and rising education among females. A rate of 2.1 is required for the population to replace itself, the government estimates.

Commuters wait to board suburban trains at a railway station in Mumbai, India, on Jan. 20, 2023.