The world’s population will reach 7 billion on October 31. In Karnataka, the fertility rate has declined to two children per woman in the past five years, adversely impacting the number of children in the state.
The world’s population will reach 7 billion on October 31. In Karnataka, the fertility rate has declined to two children per woman in the past five years, adversely impacting the number of children in the state. Karnataka has recorded rapid changes in demographic features in the past 10 years, said Prof KS James, head of Population Research Centre at Bangalore-based Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC).
The population growth rate has been rapid in Bangalore in the past decade, indicating that the city is attracting large migrants both from within and outside the state. Bangalore’s population, according to the 2011 census, is 84.25 lakh, as compared with 57.01 lakh in 2001—a growth rate of 48%.
Elaborating on the fertility rate in Karnataka, he said: “The fertility rate has reached a replacement level [the level of fertility at which a population exactly replaces itself from one generation to the next] of two children per woman in Karnataka. Across India, it is around 2.6 children per woman. Karnataka will have a negative growth in child and adult population.”
The state continues to have significant demographic divide. The southern parts have very low fertility, while the north is nearing replacement level fertility. Of the 30 districts, around 21 have already achieved a fertility level of two children or less and a few others are very close to this level based on data using the 2011 census. Interestingly, the southern districts have unexpectedly low fertility.
The state is attracting both unskilled and skilled migrants from other parts of the country. Even within the state, there is migration from north to south to fill in the labour scarcity. Such dualism has implications on the government’s policies.
“While the southern region, with advanced demographic features, will need advanced healthcare,” said Prof James.
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