New Delhi, June 7: SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has highlighted India’s declining fertility rate, noting that the country’s birth rate has fallen below the replacement level required to maintain long term population stability.
In a post on social media platform X, Musk said India’s birth rate had dropped below the replacement threshold and added that fertility rates among the country’s most educated groups had fallen below replacement levels years ago.
Musk was responding to data shared by a media outlet that reported India’s total fertility rate has declined below the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman for the first time. According to the data, the fertility rate fell from 2.3 to 1.9 over the past decade.
The report also noted that Delhi’s fertility rate has dropped to 1.2 births per woman. It cited recent analysis suggesting that India’s population could begin shrinking in the coming decades and may decline faster than earlier projections.
The trend was also reflected in the United Nations Population Fund’s 2025 State of World Population Report. The report stated that India’s total fertility rate currently stands at 1.9 births per woman, below the replacement level needed to sustain population size without migration.
Despite the decline in fertility, India remains the world’s most populous country with a population exceeding 1.46 billion. The country surpassed China in 2023 to become the largest nation by population.
The UNFPA report noted that India has achieved significant gains in healthcare and education. However, it said social and economic inequalities, maternal mortality and gender related challenges continue to affect several regions.
The agency also identified early marriage and teenage pregnancies as factors contributing to maternal deaths among women below the age of 24.
Experts attribute the decline in fertility rates to rising education levels, urbanisation, greater participation of women in the workforce and changing family preferences across many parts of the country.
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