Falling fertility rate: Is India in danger of missing its demographic dividend?

In Focus by The Hindu · Jun 9, 2026 · 44m

India is going through a demographic transition. The proportion of its working age population is increasing, which means India has a great window of opportunity to boost economic growth – which is also known as the demographic dividend. But without good governance and the right policies, India could miss this narrowing window. In this episode, we unpack one question that could well determine India’s economic future: Can we make our demographic dividend count, or will we, as a nation, grow old before we grow rich? Joining us today is well-known demographer Dr Apoorva Jadhav, who is a…