Impact
of Population
Growth
India's
population growth rate has been declining
over the years but the overall population
will continue to grow as 51% of the
population is in the reproductive age group
(15-49). Millions more will join this cohort
each year. Every year, 26 million babies are born.
Only 53% of the eligible couples
are using contraceptives. At current levels,
it may take several decades more to
stabilise the population.
In India the
levels of maternal and infant mortality are
very high. Repeated childbirths are seen as
an insurance against multiple infant and
child deaths. Vast numbers of people cannot
avail of services even when they are
available, due to problems of knowledge and
access.
 |
| India
Challenges before us |
-
India
is the second most populous
country in the world,
sustaining 16.7 per cent of
the world's population.
-
The
population of Indian states
can be compared to the
population of many countries
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
-
50
% of India's population is in the
reproductive age-group.
-
161
million more people will be added
by 2016
-
about
42 percent of population increase
is contributed by births beyond
two
children per family.
|
|
|
|
India
accounts for 2.4% of the world's surface
area yet it supports 16.7% of the world's
population. As the population grows, the
pressure on natural resources will
intensify. Population pressure will reduce
the per capita availability of land for
farming, which will affect availability of
food grain, drinking water, besides
excluding millions of people from the
benefits of health and education and the
opportunity to become productive members of
society. More than half a billion Indians
are less than 25 years of age.
In the states
where the growth rates are high, maternal
mortality and infant mortality is also very
high. Repeated child births aggravate the
health and survival risks to both mother and
child. According to the International
Institute for Population Sciences, 2006 in a
study prepared for the Ministry of Health
and Family Welfare and National Commission
on Population, early pregnancies before the
age of 20 increase maternal and child birth
risks. The societal pressure for early child
bearing and lack of spacing thereafter
affects the mother's health and can lead to
death of the infant or the birth of an
underweight child. This sets in motion a
vicious cycle of births, deaths and
ill-health. It affects overall development.
It is vitally necessary to make family
planning services available where men and
women can access them freely. IIPS's study
indicates that in many states like Bihar,
Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and some
North Eastern States several districts have
a low couple protection rate of 40%. This is
in contrast to the rest of the country where
the couple protection rates are 52 to 62%.
Unless young people adopt family planning
methods and space families, population
growth will pull back the development of the
country.
|
)