Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has drawn attention towards the declining birth rate of India and noted that the country’s fertility rate has fallen below the replacement level that is required to maintain population stability.
“India’s birth rate has fallen below replacement. Among those most educated, India’s birth rate fell below replacement many years ago,” the world’s richest person wrote on X.
India’s birth rate has fallen below replacement.
Among those most educated, India’s birth rate fell below replacement many years ago. https://t.co/RsWf0PK6wx
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 6, 2026
Musk has reacted to data shared by media outlet AF Post, which claimed that India’s total fertility rate (TFR) has dropped below the replacement threshold of 2.1 children per woman for the first time in the history of the country. As per the post, India’s fertility rate came down from 2.3 to 1.9 over the past decade.
Further, it highlighted that Delhi’s fertility rate has fallen to 1.2, which is lower than that of Finland.
The report cited a June 4 article published by The Economist arguing that India’s population could begin shrinking in the coming years. It further claimed that the country’s population could decline at a faster pace than previously anticipated.
The trend was even highlighted in the United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) 2025 State of World Population Report. It stated that total fertility rate of India has come down to 1.9 births per woman, that is below the replacement level of 2.1.
Notably, when the fertility rate is below the replacement level, it means that, in the absence of migration, the population will eventually begin to decline as each generation becomes smaller than the one before it, IANS reported.
However, India remains the world’s most populated country with its overall population exceeding 1.46 billion. The country overtook China in 2023 to claim the top position.