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With population exceeding 1.46 billion people, India is the most populated country in the world surpassing China. In spite of the fact that the population policies, family planning, and welfare programmes undertaken by the government of India have led to continuous decrease in fertility rates, but still the stabilisation will take place nearby 2050.  

Causes of Population Growth

Various factors leads to a rise in population of a country, such as:

  1. Demographic Transition (Birth vs. Death Rates) - While medical advancements, better sanitation, and improved food security have drastically reduced the Mortality Rate (Death Rate), the Birth Rate has declined at a much slower pace. This gap between falling deaths and slowly declining births results in a "population explosion" phase.
  2. Population Momentum - While India's Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has declined to 2.0 (below replacement level), the population continues to grow due to Population Momentum. A large youthful demographic means more people are entering child-bearing age, ensuring growth continues despite lower individual fertility rates.
  3. Social Factors - Marriage in India is often viewed as a universal social and religious obligation rather than a personal choice. Despite legal ages (18 for women, 21 for men), child marriage persists in rural area. This extends the reproductive span of a woman. The cultural expectation to conceive shortly after marriage remains a significant driver of early first-births.
  4. Poverty and Illiteracy – Another reason for rapid growth is poverty. Impoverished families often have many children due to economic necessity, lack of family planning access, low education, and the need to ensure some children survive to adulthood. In these circumstances, children are viewed as economic assets for labor and old-age support, which contributes to larger family sizes and a cycle of poverty and high fertility. 
  5. Age Old Cultural Norms – “Sons are the bread earners of families in India.” This age old practice puts considerable pressure on the parents to produce children till a male child is born.
  6. Illegal Migration – International migration (both legal and undocumented) from neighboring countries like Bangladesh and Nepal does impact the population density, particularly in border states like West Bengal, Assam, and Bihar. It is also worth noting that internal migration (rural-to-urban) significantly increases the "perceived" population pressure by creating hyper-dense urban slums.

Phases of India's Demography

India's demographic history is divided into four main phases:

  1. The Stagnant Phase (1901-1921) – characterized by high birth and death rates;
  2. The Steady Growth Phase (1921-1951) – marked by a declining death rate; 
  3. The Population Explosion/Rapid Growth Phase (1951-1981) – with a rapid decline in death rates and sustained high birth rates; and
  4. The Decelerating/High Growth with Slowing Down Phase (Post-1981) – during which the birth rate begins to fall, leading to a slowing down but still high population growth rate.

Stage 1: The Stagnant Phase (1901 – 1921) –

This stage witnessed irregular and slow growth of population. Thus, it is considered stagnant. The high birth rate was counter balanced by high death rate; the progressive growth rate in 1921 over 1901 was 5.42%. The census year 1921 registered a negative rate of -0.31%, which happened only once throughout the demographic history of India. It is because of this decline instead of rise in population, that year 1921 is called the “Year of Great Divide” in the demographic history of India. 

The high mortality during this period was a result of large scale abnormal deaths due to epidemics of influenza, plague, smallpox, cholera etc.; Influenza itself claimed 12 million lives. Food shortage was caused by severe draughts in 1911, 1913, 1915, 1918, and 1920. This food shortage had its own claim of lives. An addition to this, thousands of Indian soldiers lost their lives in the 1st World War (1914 – 1918).

Stage 2: The Steady Growth Phase (1921 – 1951) –

It was a period of steady growth. During 1921 – 51, population increased from 25 million to 361 million. During these 30 years, the population registered a growth of 47.3%. Therefore, it is called as a period of steady growth. The general health condition improved after 1921 and this development has helped in controlling diseases. Decline in death rate was achieved through the improvement in distribution system with the help of transportation, so that food could be supplied timely to the drought and famine stricken areas. The combined effect of these factors was that the population started increasing steadily. Since crude death rate decline considerably and crude birth rate remained very high, the population growth during this period is called “Mortality – induced growth.”

Stage 3: The Population Explosion/Rapid Growth Phase (1951-1981) –

It was a period of rapid growth. After 1951, there was a decline in mortality but fertility remained high. The birth rate increased from 40% / 1000 in 1951 to 42% / 1000 in 1961, and stayed at 34% / 1000 in 1981. It fell at 26% / 1000 in 2001. The total population of the country increased from 361.09 million in 1951 to 688.3 million in 1981. Recording an increase of 89.36% in short span of 30 years. The main cause was due to accelerated developmental activities and further improvement in health facilities. The living condition of the people improved enormously.

Stage 4: The Decelerating/High Growth with Slowing Down Phase (Post – 1981) –

The period of 1981 – 2001 is known as the period of high growth with definite signs of slowing down. The rate of growth was still very high and it started declining after 1981. The highest growth rate ever of 2.22% was recorded in 1971 which continued in 1981; it declined to 2.14% in 1991 and further to 1.95% in 2001. Declining trend of death rate continued but at a slower rate. Awareness among the people and wish to enjoy a higher standard of living has shown some signs of slowing down.