Total fertility rate in state slips to 1.5

The Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in Himachal is falling consistently. From 1.9 in the National Family Health Survey-4 conducted in 2015-16 to 1.7 in the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-5 in 2019-21, it has further slipped to 1.5, as per the National Health Mission, Himachal Pradesh.

“Himachal figures among the states having the lowest TFR in the country. Goa and Sikkim have a lower TFR than Himachal, as per the survey-5,” said Dr Sanju Karol, Director of Population Research Centre, Shimla, which conducted the two surveys in the state. The average TFR of the country as per the NFHS-5 was two.

Karol attributed the consistent decline in the TFR in the state mainly to increasing literacy among women. “The TFR has a lot to do with the women literacy rate. The TFR falls as the literacy rate among women increases. In Himachal, as per the 2011 Census, the literacy rate among women reached 75.9 per cent,” she added.

She said that the knowledge and use of contraceptives among women in the state was also relatively higher, leading to a decline in the TFR. “In the 15 to 49 years age group, 75 per cent women are using contraceptives in the state. The corresponding figure at the national level is 66.7 per cent,” Karol added. The other reason for the declining TFR is late marriages. “Women are getting married late. This, too, is leading to smaller families,” she said.

For a smaller state like Himachal, which has a population of just around 75 lakh, the declining TFR is a cause for concern? “There’s continuous migration happening from one state to the other, and this balances out the decline in TFR,” she added.