Jahangeer Ganaie
Srinagar, May 16: The National Family Health Survey for 2019-21 has revealed that J&K has lowest fertility in the country and there has been a decline of 0.6 percent fertility rate in J&K since 2015-16 when the last survey was conducted.
As per the details of NHFS-5 available, the fertility rate among uneducated and women belonging to scheduled caste is more as compared to the fertility rate in educated women and women belonging to non-scheduled groups.
It said that the fertility rate in women living in rural areas is more than that of fertility rate in women living in urban areas
“In Jammu & Kashmir, the median age at first marriage is 23.6 years among women age 25-49 years. Twenty-seven percent of women age 20-49 years have never married, compared with 35 percent of men age 20-49,” it said.
“The total fertility rate (TFR) in Jammu & Kashmir is 14 children per woman, which is below the replacement level of fertility. Fertility has decreased by 0.6 children between NFHS-4 and NFHS-5,” the report added.
“The total fertility rate in urban areas, at 1.2 children per woman, and in rural areas, at 1.5 children per woman, are: below the replacement level. Among births in the three years preceding the survey, 5 percent were of birth order four or higher, compared with 12 percent in NFHS-4.”
“The most significant differentials in fertility are by place of residence, caste/tribe, and schooling. At current fertility rates, women with no schooling will have an average of 0.7 more children than women with 12 or more years of schooling. Similarly, other backward caste women will have 0.4 more children than women who are not in scheduled caste/tribe or another backward caste,” it said.
