Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception in India
India: Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception was 1.96 births per woman in 2024. ▼ Falling
Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception in India, 1960–2024
Source: United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per woman.
Analysis
India recorded 1.96 births per woman for fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 65 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 14.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception in India peaked at 5.98 births per woman in 1964 and was at its lowest, 1.96 births per woman, in 2024.
India ranks 105th of 215 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.88 births per woman | 5.68 births per woman | 5.98 births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 5.24 births per woman | 4.81 births per woman | 5.62 births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.47 births per woman | 4.13 births per woman | 4.78 births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.7 births per woman | 3.38 births per woman | 4.04 births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 3 births per woman | 2.67 births per woman | 3.35 births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.34 births per woman | 2.12 births per woman | 2.6 births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 2 births per woman | 1.96 births per woman | 2.05 births per woman | 5 |
Countries ranked near India
- 102 United States Virgin Islands 1.97 births per woman compare
- 103 Peru 1.97 births per woman compare
- 104 New Caledonia 1.96 births per woman compare
- 106 Nepal 1.96 births per woman compare
- 107 Sri Lanka 1.95 births per woman compare
- 108 Faroe Islands 1.91 births per woman compare
More population data for India
- Population growth rate, by level of development -0.5% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 66.77 million people (2100)
- Population density 506.27 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -0.5% (2100)
- Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate 1.96 births per woman (2024)
- Refugees by country of asylum 236,763 people (2024)
- Total fertility rate vs. contraceptive prevalence 1.96 births per woman (2024)
- Natural population growth rate 1.0% (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.98 live births per woman (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. GDP per capita 1.98 live births per woman (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception in India?
- Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception in India was 1.96 births per woman in 2024, according to United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception recorded in India?
- The highest recorded value was 5.98 births per woman in 1964.
- What is the lowest fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception recorded in India?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.96 births per woman in 2024.
- How does India rank for fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception?
- India ranks 105th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception rising or falling in India?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this India data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The total fertility rate, in a given year. The unmet need for contraception shows the estimated share of married fertile women of reproductive age who do not want to become pregnant and are not using contraception.