India's Total Fertility Rate Falls to 1.9 Children per Woman

India's total fertility rate reached 1.9 children per woman according to the latest Sample Registration System report released last month by the Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner. The figure is below the 2.1 level required to maintain population size without migration.

The rate has declined from about 3.3 births per woman in the 2000s. The report marks the first time the national reproduction rate has fallen below replacement level.

Nidhi Agarwal, 41, who runs a public relations company in Bengaluru, said she and her partner decided against having children to focus on careers and building companies. She noted family pressure from an unmarried older sister but said the choice remained personal.

Jyotsna Mirlay, a consultant gynaecologist in Bengaluru, told Al Jazeera that higher education and financial independence have reduced the influence of traditional expectations about marriage and children among women aged 30 to 40. Shweta Luthra, 41, a human rights lawyer, said she married at 23 and initially prioritized career, further study, and travel.

She later had a child she described as unplanned and said many couples now weigh whether children add value to their lives or serve mainly as a social expectation.

India's consumer price inflation rose to 3.48 percent in April, the sixth consecutive monthly increase, according to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. Average annual income stood at $2,878 in 2025, while estimated monthly living costs reached 27,664.7 rupees excluding rent.

Roopa, 36, a team leader at an electronics company, said she wants financial security before considering children, citing her experience growing up with a single mother who worked long hours. Luthra added that some young people now spend disposable income on travel and dining rather than on raising families.