Population to double in 77 years
The United Nations Population Fund's (UNFPA) State of World Population — 2024 report — predicts that the population of India, now estimated at 144.17 crores, will likely double in 77 years.
India's population was recorded at 121 crore during the last census, conducted in 2011. India leads globally with an estimated population of 144.17 crore, followed by China at 142.5 crore, according to the report.
The report -State of World Population - 2024 report -- "Interwoven Lives, Threads of Hope: Ending Inequalities in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights" said an estimated 24 per cent of India's population is aged 0-14 while 17 per cent is within the 10-19 age range.
The segment aged 10-24 is estimated to constitute 26 per cent, with the 15-64 age group making up 68 per cent. Additionally, 7 per cent of India's population is aged 65 years and above, with men having a life expectancy of 71 years and women 74 years.
According to the report, the child marriage percentage in India was at 23 between 2006-2023.
The report noted that maternal deaths in India have fallen considerably, accounting for 8 per cent of all such fatalities worldwide.
Quoting a report on "Estimates and Correlates of District-Level Maternal Mortality Ratio in India" by PLOS Global Public Health, the UNFPA said recent research into India's 640 districts revealed that while nearly a third achieved the sustainable development goal of reducing maternal mortality ratio below 70 per 100,000 live births, 114 districts still have ratios of 210 or more.
"The highest -- 1,671 per 100,000 births -- is seen in Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh, a rural area with a high proportion of indigenous peoples. While disaggregating these figures by socioeconomic group, ethnicity, caste or religion is challenging, these factors clearly play a role in health outcomes," it said.
The report noted that women with disabilities are up to 10 times more likely to experience gender-based violence than their peers without disabilities. Their vulnerability is further compounded by powerful forces such as climate change, humanitarian crises and mass migration, which often have a disproportionate impact on women at the margins of society, it said.
The report said millions of women and girls remain far behind, and progress is slowing or stalled on key measures -- 800 women die every day giving birth, unchanged since 2016; a quarter of women cannot say no to sex with their partner and nearly one in 10 women cannot make their own decisions about contraception.