China Vs. India: Fertility Rates Compared

1. In the mid-1950s, fertility levels were about the same in China and India, at six children per woman.

2. In the second half of the 20th century, fertility rates declined much faster in China than in India. This disparity is due in part to China’s one-child policy.

3. Today, China’s fertility rate is actually below replacement level, at 1.6 children per woman.

4. This compares to 2.5 children per woman for India.
 

5. The fertility rate slowdown in India that has occurred since the mid-1950s is largely due to an urban/rural divide in the number of children throughout India.

6. In a global context, India today is actually higher on the high-fertility list than it has been in the past.

7. In 2013, India had the 100th highest fertility level in the world, while in 1960 it ranked much lower, in 126th place.

8. Consequently, in the coming decades, the growth of India’s population will be much larger than that of the Chinese population.

Data source: 2015 projections by the United Nations Population Division. Data analysis by The Globalist Research Center