Why is India encouraging its citizens to have more children despite being the most populous country?

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Despite being the worldโ€™s most populous country, India is seeking to increase its population. This is because it is facing a demographic challenge due to rapid population aging and a decrease in the fertility rate.

Last year, the nation surpassed China in terms of population. However, studies already predict the date when, after reaching a peak, the population will decrease.
## Why India is encouraging its citizens to have more children

The main reason for the current overpopulation in India is the high birth rate. Many couples have more than two children, as they believe that having more children means more help and support as they age.

However, according to demographic analyses, the population is projected to reach its peak in the early 2060s, with 1.7 billion, before starting to decline.
It is estimated that by the end of the century, it would decrease to 1.5 billion, but the country will remain the most populous nation on the planet.

Concern and action by authorities

Leaders from two southern states, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, have started to encourage their citizens to have more children.

Andhra Pradesh is even considering offering incentives, citing low fertility rates and an aging population.

India's issue: seeking to increase its population. Indiaโ€™s issue: seeking to increase its population.

The state has also abandoned its โ€œtwo-child policyโ€ for local elections, and there are reports indicating that the neighboring Telangana could soon do the same. Tamil Nadu, next door, is also taking similar, even more extreme, measures.

The countryโ€™s fertility rate has substantially decreased: from 5.7 births per woman in 1950 to the current rate of two.

Even fertility rates fell below the replacement level of 2.1 births per woman in 17 of the 29 states and territories.

Rapid aging

According to demographers, the main challenge is the rapid aging of the population, driven by declining fertility rates.

While countries like France and Sweden took 120 and 80 years respectively to double their aged population from 7% to 14%, India is expected to reach that milestone in just 28 years, said Srinivas Goli, a demography professor at the International Institute for Population Sciences, to the BBC.

Fertility rates dropped rapidly despite modest socioeconomic progress, thanks to aggressive family welfare programs that promoted small families through targets, incentives, and disincentives.

The unintended consequence? With growing debt and limited resources, it is even more challenging to sustain higher pensions or social security for a rapidly aging population.

The issue of low birth rates, not just in India

This issue already affects several countries. In May, the president of South Korea declared that the historically low birth rate was a โ€œnational emergencyโ€ and announced plans to create a government ministry dedicated to this.

world population What is happening with the world population.

Greeceโ€™s fertility rate has plummeted to 1.3, half of what it was in 1950, prompting warnings from Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis about an โ€œexistentialโ€ threat to the population.

Developed countries, unable to reverse falling fertility rates, are focusing on healthy and active aging. With measures such as extending working life by five to seven years and improving productivity in older populations.

Demographers argue that India will need to significantly extend retirement ages, and policies should prioritize increasing healthy years.

This includes better health screenings and stronger social security to ensure a more active and productive

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