For the first time in its history, India has more women than men and is no longer experiencing a population explosion, according to a government survey pointing to major social changes in the country.
The Fifth National Family and Health Survey (NFHS), conducted by the government between 2019 and 2021, found that India now has 1,020 women for every 1,000 men.
The survey of around 650,000 households also found that the reproduction rate in India has fallen to an average of 2, the first time it has fallen below replacement fertility levels. In urban areas it was even lower at 1.6.
This means there will not be enough children to replace the older generation, suggesting India’s population of nearly 1.4 billion is approaching its peak and marks a significant change for a country where there are women with an average of six children in 1950.
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