India, June 24 -- For much of its modern history, India's demographic story has been told through the lens of abundance. A young and growing population was seen both as an economic opportunity and as a governance priority. Today, that narrative is beginning to shift. Across the world, countries that once planned around population growth are now preparing for the long-term implications of fewer births. India, long assumed to be distant from this transition, is now gradually entering that conversation.

The Sample Registration System Statistical Report 2024 has brought this shift into sharper focus. India's Total Fertility Rate stands at 1.9, below the replacement level of 2.1 for the fifth consecutive year. The Crude Birth Rate has decline...