UNFPA State of World Population Report 2025

• 12 Jun 2025

Source: TH1, TH2 

Why in News? 

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has released its State of World Population (SOWP) 2025 report titled “The Real Fertility Crisis”.  It reaffirms India as the world’s most populous country and highlights critical shifts in fertility, ageing, and reproductive autonomy, urging focus on people’s unmet fertility goals instead of fear of population decline. 

What are the Key Highlights of the UNFPA Report 2025 Related to India? 

• Population Size and Projections: India’s population in April 2025 is estimated at 146.39 crore, the highest in the world. It is expected to peak at 170 crore in the early 2060s, then gradually decline.  
  • Life expectancy is projected at 71 years for men and 74 years for women. 
• Fertility Rate Trends & Gaps: India’s Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has dropped to 1.9, below the replacement level of 2.1.  
  • As per Sample Registration System (SRS) 2021, TFR was 2.0, showing national-level achievement.  
    • However, states like Bihar (3.0), Meghalaya (2.9), and Uttar Pradesh (2.7) still have high TFRs. 31 States/UTs are below replacement level, with urban-rural gaps in 7 states. 
  • India’s fertility divide reflects regional inequality, high-fertility states like Bihar, UP, and Jharkhand contrast with low-fertility ones like Kerala, Delhi, and Tamil Nadu, due to gaps in education, healthcare, development, and gender norms. 

• Youth and Working-Age Demographics: India has a strong demographic advantage with 68% of its population in the working-age group (15–64). Children aged 0–14 make up 24%, while 26% are in the 10–24 age group.  
  • The elderly (65+) account for 7% of the population. 
• Barriers to Reproductive Autonomy: Reproductive choices in India are hindered by financial (40%), housing (22%), job (21%), and childcare (18%) constraints, along with health issues like infertility (13%) and poor maternal care (14%).  
  • Social pressure (19%) and rising anxiety over climate, politics, and economy also impact decisions. 
• Policy Recommendations for India: The report urges India to prioritise reproductive rights over population control by ensuring universal access to contraceptives, maternal and infertility care, and safe abortion.  
  • It recommends removing structural barriers like housing, childcare, and job insecurity, extending services to unmarried, LGBTQIA+, and marginalized groups, improving data on unmet needs, and promoting gender equality and social change through community initiatives. 

What are the Key Demographic Statistics for India? 

Indicator	Value/Estimate
Median Age	The median age of India’s population is 28.2 years (World Population Prospects).
Working-Age Population (15-64 years)	68% of India’s population, approximately 961 million, falls within the working-age group.
Literacy Rate	According to the National Family Health Survey 2019–21 (NFHS-5), adult men and women (15–49 years old) have literacy rates of 87.4% and 71.5%, respectively
Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR)	Male LFPR is 78.8% while female LFPR is 41.7% for the population aged 15 years and above. Overall LFPR for India is 60.1%
Overall Literacy Rate (ages 15+)	The overall literacy rate for individuals aged 15 and above is 77.7% (NSO, 2021).
Dependency Ratio	The dependency ratio stands at 47%, meaning there are 47 dependents for every 100 working-age individuals.
Population in Climate-Vulnerable Areas	Over 80% of India’s population resides in areas vulnerable to climate change impacts.
Prevalence of NCDs and Mental Health Issues	Over 20% of the population suffers from non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and around 15% face mental health issues.

 

What is the United Nations Population Fund? 

• About: UNFPA is a subsidiary body of the UN General Assembly and serves as the UN’s key agency for sexual and reproductive health.  
  • It operates in over 150 countries, covering 80% of the global population. 
• Establishment: Started in 1969 as the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, renamed in 1987 as United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA acronym retained).  
  • Guided by the ICPD Programme of Action (1994, Cairo) and the 2019 Nairobi Statement, focusing on women’s empowerment and reproductive rights. 
• Objective: UNFPA aims to ensure every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.  
  • It supports SDGs, particularly SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 4 (Quality Education), and SDG 5 (Gender Equality). 
  • UNFPA’s 3 transformative goals by 2030 are: achieving zero unmet need for family planning, zero preventable maternal deaths, and zero gender-based violence and harmful practices such as child marriage and female genital mutilation. 
• Organisational Structure: UNFPA is guided by UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), reports to the UNDP/UNFPA Executive Board (36 members), and collaborates with WHO, UNICEF, UNDP, and UNAIDS. 
• Funding: UNFPA is not funded by the UN regular budget. It is supported entirely through voluntary contributions from governments, private sector, and civil society. 

 

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Questions (PYQs) 

Prelims

Q1. In the context of any country, which one of the following would be considered as part of its social capital? (2019) 

(a) The proportion of literates in the population 
(b) The stock of its buildings, other infrastructure and machines 
(c) The size of population in the working age group 
(d) The level of mutual trust and harmony in the society 

Ans: (d) 

Q2. India is regarded as a country with “Demographic Dividend”. This is due to (2011) 

(a) Its high population in the age group below 15 years 
(b) Its high population in the age group of 15-64 year 
(c) Its high population in the age group above 65 years 
(d) Its high total population 

Ans: (b) 

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Mains:

Q. “Demographic Dividend in India will remain only theoretical unless our manpower becomes more educated, aware, skilled and creative.” What measures have been taken by the government to enhance the capacity of our population to be more productive and employable? (2016)

Q. “While we flout India’s demographic dividend, we ignore the dropping rates of employability.” What are we missing while doing so? Where will the jobs that India desperately needs come from? Explain. ? (2014)