India's fertility rate falls to 1.9, below replacement level
India's average number of children per woman has dropped to 1.9 (below the replacement level of 2.1) for the first time ever.
Even though India is still the world's most populous country with about 1.47 billion people, this shift means its population could start shrinking in the coming decades.
India urbanization education costs cut births
More people are living in cities, women are getting higher education, and raising kids has become more expensive, all leading to fewer births, especially in urban areas like Delhi (where the rate is just 1.2).
Elon Musk pointed out that educated Indians have had low fertility for years, and back in 2019, Prime Minister Modi called for more awareness around smaller families to help future generations.
U.N. forecasts say India's population will keep growing until the 2060s before it starts to decline, a big change for the country's future.