Women, babies, growth: ‘Not a switch that can be turned on and off’

Poonam Muttreja, director of Population Foundation of India, on the tendency to blame women for dips in population, and the challenges that lie ahead for India.

Q. Some estimates say India’s population will peak as early as the 2040s – close enough to worry about. How do you see the numbers unfolding, given that we’re three years behind on the census?

I would say the India estimate is accurate. Even without the census, we have good data via The National Family Health Survey and other studies. Round 5 of the NFHS (2021) shows that India’s fertility level is below the replacement rate of 2.1 in all