India’s population in 2036 is expected to be more feminine compared to the 2011 population, as reflected in the sex ratio which is projected to increase from 943 females per 1000 males in 2011 to 952 females per 1000 males by 2036, highlighting a positive trend in gender equality.
The ‘Women and Men in India 2023’ report released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation on Monday is indicative of the fact that India’s population in 2036 will be more gender-balanced compared to 2011.
Also, the report states that by 2036, population of India is expected to reach 152.2 Crore, with a slightly improved female percentage of 48.8% as compared to 48.5 percent in 2011.
The proportion of individuals under 15 years is projected to decrease from 2011 to 2036, likely due to declining fertility, mentioned the report.
Conversely, the proportion of the population aged 60 years and above is anticipated to substantially increase during this period.
It is evident that from 2016 to 2020, Age Specific Fertility Rate (ASFR) in the age group of 20-24 and 25-29 has reduced from 135.4 and 166.0 to 113.6 and 139.6 respectively. The ASFR for the age 35-39 for the above period has increased from 32.7 to 35.6 which shows that after settling in life, women are thinking of expanding their family.
The adolescent fertility rate was 33.9 for the illiterate population and 11.0 for the literate population in 2020.
This rate is considerably lower for even those who are literate but without any formal education (20.0) compared to illiterate women, reemphasising the importance of imparting education to women.
Age-specific fertility rate is defined as the number of live births in a specific age group of women per thousand female populations of that age group.
Also, Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) is one of the SDG indicators and to bring it down to 70 by 2030 is explicitly laid down in SDG framework. Owing to ceaseless efforts by the Government, India has successfully achieved the major milestone of bringing down its MMR (97/lakh live births in 2018-20), well in time and it should be possible to achieve the SDG target as well.
Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) has been witnessing a declining trend over the years for both male and female. Female IMR had always been higher than that of male but in 2020, both were equal at the level of 28 infants per 1000 live births.
The Under 5 Mortality Rate data revealed that it had decreased from 43 in 2015 to 32 in 2020. So is the case for both boys and girls and the gap between boys and girls IMR had also reduced.
As per the Periodic Labour Force Survey, Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) of the persons aged 15 years and above has been increasing from 2017-18 onwards for both male and female population. It is seen that male LFPR had gone from 75.8 to 78.5 during 2017-18 to 2022-23 and female LFPR had gone from 23.3 to 37 during the same period.
Up to the 15th National Election (1999), less than 60% of women electors participated, with men’s turnout being 8 percentage points higher.
However, the 2014 elections marked a significant change, with women’s participation increasing to 65.6%, and further rising to 67.2% in the 2019 elections. For the first time, the voter turnout percentage was marginally higher for women, highlighting the impact of increasing literacy and political awareness among women.
Also, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has recognized a total of 1,17,254 start-ups since its inception in January 2016 to December 2023. Among these, 55,816 start-ups were led by women, constituting 47.6% of the total recognized start-ups.
This significant representation underscores the growing influence and contribution of women entrepreneurs in India’s start-up ecosystem.
