What the Data Shows
This comparison places total fertility rates for 22 major Indian state and territory reporting areas against the 2.1 replacement-level benchmark in 2023. The benchmark is the commonly used rate at which a population replaces itself from one generation to the next in the absence of migration. Five reporting areas were above 2.1, led by Bihar at 2.8 children per woman, while Jharkhand was exactly at the benchmark. Sixteen reporting areas were below replacement level, with Delhi lowest at 1.2.
Data table
Unit: children per woman · Period: 2023
| Rank | Entry | Value | Period |
|---|
| 1 | Bihar | 2.8 | 2023 |
| 2 | Uttar Pradesh | 2.6 | 2023 |
| 3 | Madhya Pradesh | 2.4 | 2023 |
| 4 | Rajasthan | 2.3 | 2023 |
| 5 | Chhattisgarh | 2.2 | 2023 |
| 6 | Jharkhand | 2.1 | 2023 |
| 7 | Assam | 2.0 | 2023 |
| 8 | Haryana | 1.9 | 2023 |
| 9 | Gujarat | 1.8 | 2023 |
| 10 | Odisha | 1.7 | 2023 |
| 11 | Uttarakhand | 1.7 | 2023 |
| 12 | Himachal Pradesh | 1.6 | 2023 |
| 13 | Andhra Pradesh | 1.5 | 2023 |
| 14 | Jammu and Kashmir | 1.5 | 2023 |
| 15 | Karnataka | 1.5 | 2023 |
| 16 | Kerala | 1.5 | 2023 |
| 17 | Punjab | 1.5 | 2023 |
| 18 | Telangana | 1.5 | 2023 |
| 19 | Maharashtra | 1.4 | 2023 |
| 20 | Tamil Nadu | 1.3 | 2023 |
| 21 | West Bengal | 1.3 | 2023 |
| 22 | Delhi | 1.2 | 2023 |
Sources
Source 2: State of World Population Report 2025 — India press release
Publisher: United Nations Population Fund
Dataset/table: Replacement-level fertility definition
Units: births per woman
Date checked: 2026-07-18
Evidence: Defines replacement-level fertility as 2.1 births per woman for the benchmark classification.
Data notes & caveats
Total fertility rate is a period measure in children per woman. Replacement level describes generational replacement in the absence of migration and does not by itself determine population growth.
Methodology
All 22 reporting-area fertility rates are ordered from highest to lowest and classified as above, at or below the 2.1 replacement-level benchmark.
Source consistency notes
All area values use the same Reserve Bank of India release and 2023 definition; the United Nations Population Fund supplies the benchmark definition.
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