SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has recorded a Total Fertility Rate of 1.4, placing it among the States and Union Territories with the lowest fertility levels in the country and well below the replacement threshold, according to data presented by the government in Parliament.
The figures were shared by Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel in a written reply to an unstarred question in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, drawing on findings from the National Family Health Survey-5 conducted during 2019–21. The national Total Fertility Rate stands at 2.0, down from 2.2 recorded in the previous round of the survey in 2015–16, indicating a steady decline across the country.
With a TFR of 1.4, Jammu and Kashmir is aligned with several low-fertility regions such as Delhi, Punjab and West Bengal, and closely mirrors levels seen in Chandigarh and Lakshadweep. Only a few regions, including Sikkim at 1.1 and Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Ladakh at 1.3, have reported lower fertility rates than Jammu and Kashmir.
The government has said that the national decline in fertility reflects improved access to family planning services, better maternal and child healthcare, and rising awareness about healthy timing and spacing of pregnancies. It has also said that India’s fertility trajectory now broadly aligns with the objectives set under the National Population Policy 2000 and the National Health Policy 2017.
Officials have said that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare follows a voluntary and rights-based approach to family planning, focusing on maternal, child and adolescent health through a continuum of care model. According to the reply, States and Union Territories are supported through targeted information, education and communication initiatives, alongside programme funding approved under State-specific Programme Implementation Plans.
The data highlights a widening demographic contrast across the country. While Jammu and Kashmir and several southern and urbanised regions have slipped into sustained below-replacement fertility, States such as Bihar, with a TFR of 3.0, Uttar Pradesh at 2.4 and Meghalaya at 2.9 continue to report significantly higher fertility levels. The government has said it is adopting differentiated strategies to address both ends of the fertility spectrum, with an emphasis on balancing population stabilisation goals and long-term demographic risks.
For Jammu and Kashmir, the low fertility rate points to a demographic transition that could reshape the Union Territory’s future population structure, workforce composition and social support systems. While the government has not flagged immediate concern, the data places Jammu and Kashmir firmly within the group of regions where sustained low fertility may, over time, raise questions about ageing populations and economic dependency ratios.
