New Delhi, June 12 -- The State of World Population report for 2025, published by a UN agency, notes that India's total fertility rate (TFR) has dipped below the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman of child-bearing age. It is now 1.9 for the country as a whole, with wide regional variation. India's National Family Health Survey of 2019-2021 had placed our TFR at 2.0.

What makes the UN report noteworthy is its emphasis on social factors that influence fertility. It focuses on reproductive agency as understood in a societal context, and that is welcome. Its call for the full realization of reproductive rights should draw our attention to gender justice, which is a vital aspect of diversity, equity and inclusion.

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