The effect of late marriage of girls started becoming visible in India, child population decreased by 24%, birth rate also halved.

In India, marriage is no longer just a social tradition, but it is also deciding the future of the population. In the last few years, boys and girls are getting married at an older age than before. The main reasons for this are education, career, financial stability and changing lifestyle. Its effect is now clearly visible in the population structure of the country. The number of children is decreasing, the working age population is increasing and the ratio of elderly is also continuously increasing.

Recently released figures show that there has been a decline of 24 percent in the population of children up to 14 years of age in the country. At the same time, the working population aged between 15 to 59 years has increased to 66.4% and the share of elderly people above 60 years of age has reached 9.7%. This means that India is gradually entering an era where fewer children will be born and the number of elderly people will continuously increase. It is being said that the biggest reason for this is the increasing age of marriage and motherhood.

certain health risks

Earlier, families used to grow bigger due to early marriage, but now both marriage and first child are happening late. Due to this, the number of children in every family is decreasing and the birth rate is continuously decreasing. According to the Sample Registration System (SRS) of the Government of India, the country’s birth rate was 36.9 per thousand population in 1971, which has come down to 18.3 per thousand in 2024. On the other hand, increasing the age of marriage of women is giving them more time for studies and jobs, but adopting motherhood too late may also increase some health risks.

What do the figures say?

1. A decline of 24% has been recorded in the population of children up to 14 years of age.
2. The population of working age (1559 years) has increased to 66.4%.
3. The population of elderly people above 60 years of age has reached 9.7%.

These figures simply mean that fewer children are being born in India now than before. A major reason for this is the delay in marriage and first child. When marriage occurs late, the couple has less time to have children and most families are limited to one or two children. For this reason, the share of child population is decreasing, while the proportion of working and elderly population is increasing.

Continuous decline in birth rate

According to the government SRS Bulletin 2024, India’s birth rate has almost halved in the last five decades. While in 1971, 36.9 children were born for every 1,000 people, in 2024 this number will come down to 18.3. This means that the population in the country is still increasing, but its pace is not the same as before. This change is believed to be related to reasons like education, urbanization, women’s employment and late marriage.

late marriage, small family

A research based on NFHS-5 data has found that women who marry at the age of 21 years or more have fewer children on average, while women who marry at a younger age have relatively larger families. Researchers say that as women’s education and economic participation increases, the age at marriage also increases and family size becomes smaller. This is the reason why the total fertility rate in India is continuously decreasing.

The age for marriage is increasing

Now the trend of late marriage and late parenthood is increasing rapidly in India. The average age of first marriage of women has reached around 19 years, whereas in many urban states it is more than 22 years. Along with this, women are becoming mothers for the first time at an older age than before. However, if motherhood is delayed too long, some health risks may increase. These include difficulty in conceiving, infertility, miscarriage, complications during pregnancy and possibility of genetic problems in the child.

What are the effects of becoming a mother late?

Another research, in which data of more than 1.48 lakh married women is known, suggests that some health risks increase in women who become mothers at the age of 35 years or more. According to research, women conceiving at this age were found to have a 43% higher risk of miscarriage, a 15% higher chance of being underweight and almost double (98% more) chances of not meeting their contraceptive needs. However, research did not find any significant relationship between anemia and late motherhood. Experts say that women who conceive after 35 years need regular checkups and better prenatal care.

What may change in the coming years?

If these figures continue further, the number of children in India will further decrease, while the population of elderly people will increase rapidly. Its impact will be visible from admission in schools to employment, health services, pension and social security. At present, the increasing working population is a big opportunity for India, which is called demographic dividend. But if this population does not get adequate employment and skills, then this opportunity can also turn into a challenge.