About the data on NFHS-5 on population<\/h5>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Urban-rural-gap.png?resize=303%2C265&ssl=1\")
Source: Livemint<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nUrban-Rural Gap<\/strong>: Rural areas have always had far greater fertility rates than urban areas. But that gap seems to be closing. For the first time, rural India has finally reached the replacement-level mark (2.1) in 2019-21 NFHS. Urban India had reached the mark in the 2005-06 survey.<\/p>\nFertility Age<\/strong>: The trend of marrying late is more common in cities. As women marry later, fertility has been declining across younger age groups. The biggest change was noted in the 15-19 age group, with a marked decline in teenage pregnancies over the years.<\/p>\nThe mean age of fertility also inched up from 26.5 years in 2011 to 28.4 years in 2018. Detailed NFHS data that would have age-wise fertility trends is not out yet.<\/p>\n
Laggard states<\/strong>: Bihar, Meghalaya, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Manipur remain the only states with fertility rates above the replacement level and the national average.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Challenges-in-population.png?resize=355%2C324&ssl=1\")
Source: Livemint<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nUnderlying Roadblocks<\/strong>: India’s declining fertility is not a consequence of any top-down policy or coercive sanctions, but a sign of increasing prosperity. The laggard states still have to progress on a slew of indicators such as women literacy, marriage age and family planning, which directly or indirectly impact fertility.<\/p>\nGender Roles<\/strong>: Data shows that even in 2021, one in three married women aged 15-49 does not resort to family planning. The burden of contraception still largely falls on women. As many as 38% of married women rely on female sterilization to prevent unwanted pregnancy.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Family-planning.png?resize=471%2C428&ssl=1\")
Source: Livemint<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nIn comparison, male sterilization is a rarity and has significantly declined since 2005-06, from 1% to 0.3%. The use of condoms is low at 9.5%, seeing a modest rise from 5.6% in the last five years.<\/p>\n
This suggests that more male health workers have to be deployed as \u201cambassadors of change to promote family planning uptake among men\u201d.<\/p>\n
Urban-Rural Gap<\/strong>: Rural areas have always had far greater fertility rates than urban areas. But that gap seems to be closing. For the first time, rural India has finally reached the replacement-level mark (2.1) in 2019-21 NFHS. Urban India had reached the mark in the 2005-06 survey.<\/p>\n Fertility Age<\/strong>: The trend of marrying late is more common in cities. As women marry later, fertility has been declining across younger age groups. The biggest change was noted in the 15-19 age group, with a marked decline in teenage pregnancies over the years.<\/p>\n The mean age of fertility also inched up from 26.5 years in 2011 to 28.4 years in 2018. Detailed NFHS data that would have age-wise fertility trends is not out yet.<\/p>\n Laggard states<\/strong>: Bihar, Meghalaya, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Manipur remain the only states with fertility rates above the replacement level and the national average.<\/p>\n Underlying Roadblocks<\/strong>: India’s declining fertility is not a consequence of any top-down policy or coercive sanctions, but a sign of increasing prosperity. The laggard states still have to progress on a slew of indicators such as women literacy, marriage age and family planning, which directly or indirectly impact fertility.<\/p>\n Gender Roles<\/strong>: Data shows that even in 2021, one in three married women aged 15-49 does not resort to family planning. The burden of contraception still largely falls on women. As many as 38% of married women rely on female sterilization to prevent unwanted pregnancy.<\/p>\n In comparison, male sterilization is a rarity and has significantly declined since 2005-06, from 1% to 0.3%. The use of condoms is low at 9.5%, seeing a modest rise from 5.6% in the last five years.<\/p>\n This suggests that more male health workers have to be deployed as \u201cambassadors of change to promote family planning uptake among men\u201d.<\/p>\n