Explanation – Total Fertility Rate (TFR) represents the average number of children a woman would have throughout her childbearing years. A TFR of 2 corresponds to replacement-level fertility, meaning each generation replaces itself with the next. As fertility declines, the proportion of children in the population falls and the proportion of the population of working age increases, resulting in a lower dependency ratio. The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in India has decreased to 2. Some states like Bihar (2.98), Meghalaya (2.91), Uttar Pradesh (2.35), Jharkhand (2.26), and Manipur (2.17) have TFRs above 2.1.

Source: Forum IAS