Causes of the Population’s Shifting Trend
- Rates of Immunization: The rate of vaccination has also increased since NFHS-4. Along with the rates of partial vaccination, the percentage of children between the ages of 12 and 23 months who are fully immunized has increased from 62% to 76%.
- Females have a Higher Degree of Education: An increase in the average age of marriage for women, increased use of contraception, more years of average education, and improved healthcare.
- Nutritional Condition: The percentage of kids that are stunted (low height for age), wasted (low weight for height), and underweight (low weight for age) has decreased, according to the NFHS-5 statistics.
- Infant Mortality is Decreasing: Since the previous round, infant and child mortality rates have decreased. The mortality rate for children under 5 fell by the most, from 49.7 to 41.9 fatalities per 1,000 live births.
- Better access to family planning tools and a high prevalence of contraception.
- This is the outcome of the demographic transition social phenomena moving more quickly. The term “demographic transition” refers to the historical change from high birth and death rates in cultures with little technology, education (especially for women), or economic growth to low birth and death rates in society with these characteristics, as well as the stages in between.
- The demographic transition ladder appears to be climbing far more quickly in poorer countries than in wealthy ones.
- Poorer nations appear to be moving up the transitional ladder much more quickly than affluent nations.
- Decreasing rate of newborn mortality.
- Higher mobility.
- Financial self-reliance.
Consequences of Declining Fertility
The average number of children born to each woman in a given region over the course of her lifetime is known as the total fertility rate. Anything above four is considered to have a very high total fertility rate, and anything below two is considered to have a very low total fertility rate. It is calculated by adding the age-specific rates for one year at a given time. The replacement fertility rate, which is the total fertility rate in which women would only have enough children to replace themselves and their partners, may be more pertinent to the current discussion.
The number of people on earth has been growing continuously. Reports estimates put it at 8.5 billion by 2030; yet, the average number of children born to each woman of childbearing age has decreased by 50%. According to the World Population Prospects 2022, there will be 2.4 children per woman in 2020 as opposed to an average of five in 1951. Between 1990 and 2021, the world’s fertility rate decreased from three to 2.3. According to the NFHS 2021, only five States—Bihar, Meghalaya, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Manipur—have fertility rates that are higher than the replacement rate.