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Home/Anthropology/Mains PYQ/2018/Paper II/Indian Society, Caste & Civilization
UPSC MainsAnthropology Optional Paper II 2018 15 Marks Model Answer Available

Factors Influencing Population Growth in India — 2018 Paper II

Question · 2018 · Paper II · 15 Marks

What are the various factors influencing population growth in India? Discuss.

Model Answer

VAID ICS

Approach

  • Demand of Question: Discuss the demographic, biological and socio-cultural factors responsible for changes in India’s population growth.
  • Structuring the Response: Use the demographic equation of fertility, mortality and migration, then explain social factors such as marriage, education, health and economic development.
  • Key Dimensions to Cover: Fertility, mortality, migration, age structure, marriage, infant mortality, women’s education, contraception, demographic transition and regional variation.

Model Answer

Introduction: Population growth results fundamentally from the interaction of fertility, mortality and migration. In India these demographic processes are strongly mediated by marriage patterns, health, education, gender relations, economic conditions and state policy.

The basic relationship is:

Population change = Births − Deaths + Net Migration

  1. Fertility

Fertility is the most important direct determinant of long-term population growth.

It is influenced by:

  • age at marriage;
  • birth spacing;
  • contraception;
  • desired family size;
  • reproductive health.

Historically, relatively high fertility contributed significantly to rapid population increase.

  1. Decline in mortality

Improvements in:

  • vaccination;
  • sanitation;
  • medical care;
  • food availability;
  • control of epidemics

reduced death rates substantially.

Initially:

Mortality decline + Persistently high fertility → Rapid population growth

This is characteristic of the middle stages of the demographic transition.

  1. Infant and child mortality

High infant mortality can encourage larger desired families through:

  • replacement behaviour;
  • insurance against possible child loss.

As child survival improves, desired family size generally declines.

Thus:

Lower child mortality → Lower replacement need → Fertility decline

  1. Age at marriage

Early marriage lengthens exposure to the reproductive period and can increase completed fertility.

Rising age at marriage generally contributes to:

  • delayed first birth;
  • shorter effective reproductive span.
  1. Women’s education

Female education influences population growth through:

  • later marriage;
  • greater reproductive awareness;
  • increased employment;
  • improved contraceptive use;
  • lower desired family size.

Thus:

Women’s education → Reproductive autonomy → Lower fertility

  1. Contraceptive availability

Access to reliable family-planning services affects:

  • spacing;
  • completed family size;
  • unintended pregnancies.

The effectiveness of contraception depends not merely on supply but also on:

  • gender relations;
  • healthcare access;
  • cultural acceptance.
  1. Economic conditions

In agrarian and economically insecure settings, children may be valued for:

  • labour;
  • household production;
  • old-age support.

With urbanization and rising educational costs, children increasingly involve greater economic investment.

Hence:

Economic modernization → Rising cost of children → Smaller-family preference

  1. Son preference

Preference for sons may increase fertility when couples continue childbearing until the desired number of male children is achieved.

This demonstrates that fertility is shaped by cultural values as well as biology.

  1. Urbanization

Urban populations generally experience:

  • later marriage;
  • higher education;
  • higher living costs;
  • greater contraceptive access;
  • lower desired family size.

Urbanization therefore contributes to fertility decline.

  1. Migration

Migration alters population growth regionally.

Rural-to-urban migration:

  • reduces growth in some sending regions;
  • increases urban population concentration.

International migration also affects particular states and regions, though natural increase remains the major demographic component nationally.

  1. Age structure and population momentum

Even after fertility declines, population may continue growing because a large proportion of the population is entering reproductive ages.

Thus:

Large young population → More potential parents → Continued growth

This phenomenon is called population momentum.

  1. Regional and cultural variation

Indian fertility patterns vary according to:

  • state;
  • education;
  • urbanization;
  • income;
  • healthcare;
  • marriage practices.

Therefore India does not experience a single uniform demographic transition.

Demographic transition

The broad pattern can be represented as:

High fertility + High mortality
↓
Mortality decline + High fertility
↓
Rapid population growth
↓
Fertility decline
↓
Slower population growth

Conclusion

Population growth in India is determined not simply by biological reproduction but by interaction among fertility, mortality, migration, age structure, gender, education, healthcare and socioeconomic development. India’s declining fertility indicates movement toward a later stage of demographic transition, though substantial regional differences and population momentum remain important.

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