According to a UNFPA report, population anxieties in India have seeped into the general public as the nation overtook China as the most populated country in the world. Around 63 percent of Indians are concerned about economic issues, followed by environmental, sexual and reproductive health, and human rights concerns.
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Respondents in India also stated that their country's population was "too large," and fertility rates were "too high."
However, the growing number should not trigger anxiety or create alarm, said the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in its State of the World Population Report (SWOP) 2023.
“Instead, they should be seen as a symbol of progress, development, and aspirations if individual rights and choices are being upheld,” it added.
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On Tuesday, a United Nations report estimated that India, by June, will soon overtake China as the world's most populated country and have around 2.9 million more people than the East Asian nation.
As part of the SWOP 2023, a UNFPA-commissioned public survey conducted by YouGov asked a representative sample of 1,007 in India about their views on population issues.
“The Indian survey findings suggest that population anxieties have seeped into large portions of the general public,” said Andrea Wojnar, a representative of UNFPA India and the country director of Bhutan.
In 2021, India emphasised its opposition to coercion in family planning, and stated in several fora, including in Parliament, that it did not condone such policies, as they would prove to be “counter-productive.”
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The survey asked a representative sample of 7,797 people across eight countries — India, Brazil, Egypt, France, Hungary, Japan, Nigeria and the United States — for their views on population issues.
It strongly recommended governments institute policies with gender equality and rights at their heart, such as parental leave programmes, child tax credits, policies that promote gender equality in the workplace, and universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights.
These offer a proven formula that will reap economic dividends and lead to resilient societies able to thrive no matter how populations change, the report added.
With agency inputs.
