India's Total Fertility Rate Drops to 1.9 — SRS Statistical Report 2024
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Article summary
The Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner released the Sample Registration System (SRS) Statistical Report 2024 on May 20, 2026, confirming India's Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has declined to 1.9 — below the replacement threshold of 2.1 for the second consecutive year. All states except Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand have fallen below replacement level. The Crude Birth Rate stands at 18.3 per 1,000, the Infant Mortality Rate at 24 per 1,000 live births, and 95.4% of deliveries are now institutional. The north–south fertility divergence has sharpened, with Delhi at 1.2 and Bihar at 2.9.
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Sample questions — answers revealed after test
Q1. With reference to the Sample Registration System (SRS) Statistical Report 2024, which of the following statements is correct?
Q2. A policy analyst is identifying Indian states that still require targeted fertility reduction interventions under India's population stabilisation goals, defined as states where Total Fertility Rate (TFR) remains above replacement level (2.1) as per the SRS Statistical Report 2024. Which of the following combinations correctly identifies ALL such states from the list below? 1. Bihar 2. Uttar Pradesh 3. Madhya Pradesh 4. Rajasthan 5. Delhi 6. Jharkhand
Q3. Consider the following statements regarding India's demographic transition as reflected in the SRS Statistical Report 2024 and its policy implications: 1. India's Total Fertility Rate falling below 2.1 for two consecutive years means India's absolute population has already begun to decline. 2. The TFR gap between urban (1.5) and rural (2.1) India suggests that rural India is precisely at replacement level, while urban India is significantly below it. 3. The SRS Statistical Report 2024 is based on a Census 2011 sampling frame, which means demographic policymaking in 2026 is structurally reliant on a 15-year-old population baseline. 4. A decline in Total Fertility Rate, if sustained, will eventually reverse India's demographic dividend by increasing the old-age dependency ratio. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?