DEMOGRAPHIC FACTS

Given the scale and diversity of India's population, a decline from around 6 children per woman in 1970, to almost half that level in a span of 30 years is a significant achievement. Fertility has declined throughout the country, though at varying pace in rural and urban areas and in different states, with Kerala and Tamil Nadu already reaching the replacement level. Changes in fertility behaviour have diffused through space and time conditioned by socio-cultural and historical considerations rather than neat administrative boundaries. Fertility
has fallen at all ages; at younger ages due to a rise in the age at marriage and at older ages due to control of fertility within marriage through the adoption of family planning (mainly sterilization).

This has resulted in a very short time span of childbearing, especially in states with low fertility. Fertility in India has fallen under a wide range of socio-economic and cultural conditions. The rising levels of education, influence of the media, economic changes, continuing urbanization, declines in infant and child mortality have all contributed to fertility decline. The diffusion of new ideas and enhanced aspirations for children has led even uneducated parents to limit their family size. However, fertility variation between regions is likely to persist for some time although a trend towards broad convergence in levels of fertility between the states is under way.

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