Family planning in India is based on efforts largely sponsored by the Indian government. From 1966 to 2009, contraceptive usage has more than tripled (from 13% of married women in 1970 to 48% in 2009) and the fertility rate has more than halved (from 5.7 in 1966 to 2.4 in 2012), but the national fertility rate in absolute numbers remains high, causing concern for long-term population growth. India adds up to 1,000,000 people to its population every 20 days. Extensive family planning has become a priority in an effort to curb the projected population of two billion by the end of the twenty-first century.
In 2016, the total fertility rate of India was 2.30 births per woman and 15.6 million abortions performed, with an abortion rate of 47.0 abortions per 1000 women aged between 15 and 49 years. With high abortions rates follows a high number of unintended pregnancies, with a rate of 70.1 unintended pregnancies per 1000 women aged 15–49 years. Overall, the abortions occurring in India make up for one third of pregnancies and out of all pregnancies occurring, almost half were not planned. On the Demographic Transition Model, India falls in the third stage due to decreased birth rates and death rates. In 2026, it is projected to be in stage four once the Total Fertility Rate reaches 2.1.
Contraceptive usage
Women in India are not being fully educated on contraception usage and what they are putting in their bodies. From 2005 to 2006 data was collected to indicate only 15.6% of women using contraception in India were informed of all their options and what those options actually do. Contraceptive usage has been rising gradually in India. In 1970, 13% of married women used modern contraceptive methods, which rose to 35% by 1997 and 48% by 2009.
Awareness of contraception is near-universal among married women in India. However, the vast majority of married Indians (76% in a 2009 study) reported significant problems in accessing a choice of contraceptive methods. The above table clearly indicates more evidence that the availability of contraceptives is a problem for people in India. In 2009, 48.4% of married women were estimated to use a contraceptive method. About three-fourths of these were using female sterilization which is by far the most prevalent birth-control method in India. Condoms, at a mere 3%, were the next most prevalent method. Meghalaya, at 20%, had the lowest usage of contraception among all Indian states. Bihar and Uttar Pradesh were the other two states that reported usage below 30%.
Sterilization is a common practice in India. Contraceptive practices in India are heavily skewed towards terminal methods like sterilization, which means that contraception is practiced primarily for birth limitation rather than birth planning. It is common to use camps to enforce sterilization. This process can be done with or without consent.
Comparative studies have indicated that increased female literacy is correlated strongly with a decline in fertility. Studies have indicated that female literacy levels are an independent strong predictor of the use of contraception, even when women do not otherwise have economic independence. Female literacy levels in India may be the primary factor that help in population stabilisation, but they are improving relatively slowly: a 1990 study estimated that it would take until 2060 for India to achieve universal literacy at the current rate of progress.
In 2015, there was an average 58% of women who used contraceptives, with female sterilization still being the most preferred and favored among 91% of women. Higher rates of sterilization are seen among women who hold less education than those with more education. Those with higher education have lower rates due to the delay of getting married and childbirth. 77% of the women who underwent sterilization had not used an alternative contraception prior to the procedure and most women were under the age of 26, who seem to have many options available in regards to protection. The preoccupation with birth limitation by India's family planning programme has meant that it has not been able to successfully reach young married women who are in the process of building their family and enable them to meet their family planning intentions.
According to Family Planning 2020, in 2017 there were 136,569,000 women using modern method contraception which prevented: 39,170,000 unintended pregnancies, 11,966,000 unsafe abortions, and 42,000 maternal deaths due to family planning. In 2012, India's modern contraception prevalence rate among all women was 39.2, in 2017 it was 39.57, and in 2020 is predicted to rise to 40.87.
Family planning programme
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is the government unit responsible for formulating and executing family planning in India. An inverted red triangle is the symbol for family planning health and contraception services in India. In addition to the newly implemented government campaign, improved healthcare facilities, increased education for women, and higher participation among women in the workforce have helped lower fertility rates in many Indian cities. The objectives of the program are positioned towards achieving the goals stated in several policy documents. While India is improving in fertility rates, there are still areas of India that maintain much higher fertility rates.Rao, Mohan(2004) From Population Control to Reproductive Health, Sage Publications,
In 2017, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched Mission Pariwar Vikas, a central family planning initiative. The key strategic focus of this initiative is on improving access to contraceptives through delivering assured services, ensuring commodity security and accelerating access to high quality family planning services. its overall goal is to reduce India's overall fertility rate to 2.1 by the year 2025. Along with that two contraceptive pills, MPA (Medroxyprogesterone acetate) under Antara program and Chaya (earlier marketed as Saheli) will be made freely available to all government hospitals.
Family planning program benefits not only parents and children but also to society and nation, by being able to keep the number of new births under control allows for less population growth. With less population growth this will allow for more resources towards those already existing in the Indian population, with more resources comes longer life expectancy and better health.
Fertility rate India's current fertility rate as of 2024, is 2.1 births per woman. The fertility rate (average number of children born per woman during her lifetime) in India has been declining and it had reached the average replacement rate in 2019. The average replacement rate is 2.1. (This rate is said to stabilize a population) Replacement rate can be defined as the rate at which the population exactly replaces itself. Factoring in infant mortality, the replacement rate is approximately 2.1 in most industrialised nations and about 2.5 in developing nations (due to higher mortality). The fertility rates in India have dropped rapidly in rural areas, but are dropping at a stable rate in urban and populated areas. Although this seems promising, two-thirds of India's population resides in rural areas, adding to the decreased fertility rate. Discounting immigration and population momentum effects, a nation that crosses below the replacement rate is on the path to population stabilisation and, eventually, population reduction. There have been several factors influencing recent trends in Indian fertility including, but not limited to: limitation of family planning ability, age at marriage/childbirth, and the space between children born to one woman. Although India is dealing with major overpopulation issues, the fertility rate and the overall population growth is declining.
Historical fertility trend The fertility rate in India has been in long-term decline, and more than halved from 1960 to 2009. From 5.7 births per woman in 1966, it declined to 3.3 births per woman by 1997 and 2.7 births per woman in 2009. In 2005 the TFR, (total fertility rate), was listed as 2.9 births per women. Since this time, the country has recorded a steady decline in order to reach the current rate (as of 2024) of 2.1 births per woman.
State and country comparisons Twenty Indian states have dipped below the 2.1 replacement rate level and are no longer contributing to Indian population growth. The total fertility rate of India stands at 2.1 as of 2024. Four Indian states have fertility rates above 3.5 - Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Meghalaya and Nagaland Of these, Bihar has a fertility rate of 4.0 births per woman, the highest of any Indian state. For detailed state figures and rankings, see Indian states ranking by fertility rate.
In 2009, India had a lower estimated fertility rate than Pakistan and Bangladesh, but a higher fertility rate than China, Iran, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.
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