Trends and Differentials of Adolescent Fertility in India

Shahbaz Ali, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)
Laxmi Kant Dwivedi, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)

Introduction: In India, as we know, the fertility rates are declining, and we have achieved below replacement level fertility according to NFHS-5. Although adolescent fertility (among 15–19-year-olds) in India has declined over the years, it still prevails in present times. Methods: Data from three National Family Health Surveys (NFHS-3, NFHS-4, and NFHS-5) were conducted in 2005-06, 2015-16, and 2019-21 all over India to examine trends and determinants of adolescent fertility behavior in the region. Binary Logistic regression has been used to find the factors influencing personal fertility choices made by adolescents. Results: The place where a young woman lives significantly impacts whether or not she gives birth during her teenage years, from 1. 69(1.43-1.99) in NFHS-3 to 1.94(1.67-2.25) in NFHS-5. The factor most strongly and consistently linked to the likelihood of delivering birth during adolescence is the education degree of a young woman. At the same time, religion and caste do not consistently affect adolescent fertility. Conclusion: Education promotion might be the most successful strategy to encourage delayed childbearing among adolescents in India. More research is required to determine how community facilities, particularly health and family planning services aimed at teenagers, affect adolescent fertility.

Keywords: Fertility, Children, Adolescents, and Youth, Families, Unions and Households

See extended abstract.