India pushes larger families despite population topping 1.4 billion

May 19 (Asia Today) -- India is increasingly shifting toward pro-birth policies despite already being the world's most populous country, as concerns grow over falling fertility rates and long-term demographic decline.

India's total fertility rate fell to 2.0 births per woman in a 2019-2021 government survey, below the replacement level of 2.1 needed to maintain the population over time, according to Reuters.

The decline marks a sharp drop from the country's fertility rate of 3.4 in 1992-1993, a change researchers attribute to greater contraceptive use and rising levels of female education.

In response, several Indian states aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party have begun promoting larger families through direct financial incentives.

The southern state of Andhra Pradesh announced over the weekend that families would receive 30,000 rupees ($350) for a third child and 40,000 rupees ($465) for a fourth child.

Officials had initially considered offering incentives for second children but later shifted the focus toward families with three or more children. The state has not yet announced when the policy will take effect.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said declining birthrates could eventually lead to aging populations and slower economic growth.

"In the past, we focused on family planning, but circumstances have changed," Naidu said. "Children should now be viewed as assets."

The northeastern state of Sikkim has also introduced measures encouraging childbirth, including one year of maternity leave, one month of paternity leave and financial support for in vitro fertilization treatments.

The campaign has gained support from Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the Hindu nationalist organization widely regarded as the ideological base of Modi's political movement.

Dattatreya Hosabale, the group's general secretary, said India's falling fertility rate could disrupt demographic balance and contribute to future social tensions.

"We have long described India as a young nation, but the fertility rate is gradually declining," Hosabale told reporters last week.

India's demographic shift mirrors a broader trend seen across Asia. Countries including China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Turkey once focused on population control policies during the 1980s, only to reverse course years later as birthrates dropped sharply.

Unlike East Asia, however, India's population is still expected to continue growing for decades. The United Nations projects India's population could peak at around 1.7 billion in roughly 40 years.

India also faces a different economic reality than aging East Asian economies: the country currently struggles more with job shortages than labor shortages.

Government data showed India's overall unemployment rate for people age 15 and older stood at 3.1% last year, but youth unemployment among those ages 15 to 29 reached 9.9%. In urban areas, the youth unemployment rate climbed to 13.6%.

Analysts say the combination of continued population growth and weak job creation could complicate India's push for larger families in the years ahead.

-- Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

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This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 4:30 PM.