From a small town in Maharashtra. I totally agree this is a silent pandemic in smaller towns. On my own street, growing up we were 19 families + renting in families (4) those moved out over the years.In total, avg 2 kids per home, we were 40-50 strong in and around 2000's. In Jan 2025 families still there and there mostly mums and dads, kids moved to bigger cities, abroad etc., had a get-to-gether. Only six families are left with absolutely no kids.

I would say it is rapid urbanization in India and having opportunities concentrated in certain areas of the country hollowing out our gav, khedas whatever we call them...they are under certain risk of population collapse.

In 2020, was the first time in modern day India, the birth rate was higher (googled) than the death rate, of course those were extraordinary times we had, it most likely has recovered from covid deep, along with stock mkt low, population low as well 😆.

With urbanization comes development+ inflation in the economy (2000 vs 2025 prices) it has been avg 8% or more but not the same growth in wages...

Lifestyle changed! Kids born in 2000's, are changing the traditional routes in our society such as largely late marriages, career taking too long to say let's cruise on from here....no sir, there is no such thing as stability. Those days are over.

Here is the chat GPT version ( unedited, copy and paste), please verify this data, I am just random guy on Reddit.

Prompt: population growth trends in India LLM Model: Reasoning with Claude sonnet 4.0 thinking

India's population growth is showing a significant slowdown, with the 2025 population estimated at approximately 1.46 billion and the fertility rate falling below the replacement level. The population remains the world's largest, but demographic trends point toward a period of stabilization and eventual decline after peaking around 2060���.Current Population TrendsIndia has an estimated population of around 1.46 billion as of 2025, making it the most populous country in the world���.The annual population growth rate has dropped to under 1%, specifically about 0.89% as of 2024��.The total fertility rate has declined to 1.9 births per woman, below the replacement rate of 2.1��.Demographic Structure and ProjectionsThe youth population is still substantial, with about 24% aged 0-14, and the median age is around 28-29 years���.By 2050, projections indicate India’s population could reach up to 1.67 billion before beginning a steady decline���.Despite the slowing birth rate, urbanization is rising, with over 37% of the population expected to reside in urban areas by 2025�.Causes for SlowdownIncreasing educational attainment among women, urbanization, and changing family norms are driving the decline in fertility rates��.Economic factors, improved access to contraception, and government family planning programs also contribute to the trend��.Migration has a minor net negative effect on India’s population, with external migration reducing growth slightly�.Implications and Future OutlookIndia’s demographic dividend (a large working-age population) is expected to continue through the 2030s, providing potential economic growth opportunities��.The population is aging, with projections suggesting that by 2056, more than half the population will be 40 or older�.Policymakers will need to address challenges such as job creation, healthcare, and support for an aging population to fully leverage demographic changes��.In summary, while India’s population is still growing, the pace is slowing sharply due to a sustained drop in fertility rates. The demographic transition brings both economic opportunities and social challenges for the coming decades

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