Bihar has recorded highest fertility rate in the country with an average rural woman in the State giving birth to almost four children. This, even as the national level total fertility rate (TFR) has dipped by .1 points to 2.4 in 2011. For the record, Bihar at 51.1 has the highest percentage of illiterate women in the country.

In comparison, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal have reported the lowest TFR at 1.7 against the national average. In 2010, the country’s TFR was 2.5 against 5.2 in 1971.

TFR indicates the average number of children expected to be born per woman during her entire span of reproductive period assuming that the age specific fertility rates, to which she is exposed to, continue to be the same and that there is no mortality.

State wise, Bihar has reported highest TFR of 3.7 followed by Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh with TFR of 3.4, 3.1 and 3 respectively, as per the survey by the Registrar General of India (RGI).

It is the largest demographic survey in the world covering about 1.5 million households and 7.35 million population.

Around eight States have already reached the replacement level TFR of 2.1. The TFR for India in the year 2011 was 2.4 per woman and varies from 2.7 in rural areas to 1.9 in urban areas.   

The TFR has declined from 5.2 to 4.5 during 1971 to 1981 and from 3.6 to 2.4 during 1991 to 2011. The TFR in rural areas has declined from 5.4 to 2.7 from 1971 to 2011 whereas the corresponding decline in urban areas has been from 4.1 to 1.9 during the same period.

As per the National Population Policy, India was to reach the national TFR of 2.1 by 2010, but now it expects to reach population stabilisation by 2060, with 165 crore people.