India’s Fertility Rate Drops to 1.9 Below Replacement Level, Population to Peak at 1.8–1.9 Billion by 2080

Exam-focused facts from the 1 December 2025 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

India’s total fertility rate (TFR) currently stands at 1.9.
In 2000, India’s TFR was 3.5.
India’s population projected to peak at 1.8 or 1.9 billion by 2080.
Indian Association for the Study of Population (IASP) general secretary Anil Chandran attributes fertility decline to rising female literacy and education.
Kerala achieved replacement-level fertility between 1987 and 1989 with current TFR around 1.5.
West Bengal’s TFR stands at 1.3 per SRS Statistical Report 2023, down from 1.7 in 2013.