Q.At which stage of the demographic transition is India currently placed, and why?

India moved into Stage 2 after independence and has been shifting toward Stage 3 since the 1980s as its birth rate has also started falling.

India entered Stage 2 of the demographic transition after independence (1951 onward), as

public health measures, vaccination programmes, and improved food security (aided by the Green

Revolution) sharply cut the death rate while the birth rate remained high, producing rapid

population growth.

Since the 1980s, India's birth rate has also been falling, moving the country from Stage 2

toward Stage 3 — the late expanding stage where both rates are declining and growth is

decelerating. Recent National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5, 2019–21) data show India's national

Total Fertility Rate has fallen to around the replacement level of about 2.1, though this …