Demographic Trends in India: SRS 2021 Report Summary

The Sample Registration System (SRS) Statistical Report 2021, released by the Registrar General of India, offers insights into India’s population trends, especially focusing on birth rates, fertility rates, and regional variations.

Sumit Arora Last updated on May 15th, 2025 10:55 am

The Sample Registration System (SRS) Statistical Report 2021, released by the Registrar General of India, offers insights into India’s population trends, especially focusing on birth rates, fertility rates, and regional variations.

1. Crude Birth Rate (CBR) Trends (2016–2021)

The Crude Birth Rate (CBR) is the number of live births per 1,000 people in a year.

All-India Average

CBR (2021): 19.3 per 1,000
Annual Decline Rate: 1.12%

States with Fastest Decline in CBR

State/UT	Annual Decline (%)
Tamil Nadu	2.35
Delhi	2.23
Kerala	2.05
Telangana	1.67
Karnataka	1.68
Maharashtra	1.57
J&K	1.47
Odisha	1.34
Himachal Pradesh	1.29
Andhra Pradesh	1.26
Gujarat	1.24
Haryana	1.21

These rates are nearly double the national average.

States with Slowest Decline

State	Annual Decline (%)
Rajasthan	0.48
Bihar	0.86
Chhattisgarh	0.98
Jharkhand	0.98
Assam	1.05
Madhya Pradesh	1.05
West Bengal	1.08
Uttar Pradesh	1.09
Uttarakhand	Rise in CBR

2. Total Fertility Rate (TFR) and Gross Reproduction Rate (GRR)

Definitions:

TFR: Avg. number of children a woman bears in her lifetime.
GRR: Avg. number of daughters a woman is expected to have.

National Averages (2021)

TFR: 2.0
GRR: 1.0

High TFR & GRR States

State	TFR	GRR
Bihar	3.0	1.4
Uttar Pradesh	2.7	1.3
Madhya Pradesh	2.6	1.2
Rajasthan	2.4	1.2

Low TFR & GRR States

State	TFR	GRR
West Bengal	1.4	0.7
Kerala	~1.6	~0.8
Tamil Nadu	~1.6	~0.8
Delhi	~1.5	~0.8

3. Civil Registration System (CRS) 2021 – Registered Birth Trends

The CRS 2021 dataset shows trends in the number of registered births.

States with Rising Registered Births

Bihar
Rajasthan
Uttar Pradesh
Uttarakhand
West Bengal
Jammu & Kashmir
Ladakh
Lakshadweep
Arunachal Pradesh
Mizoram
Nagaland

States with Declining Registered Births

Tamil Nadu
Kerala
Karnataka
Andhra Pradesh (uptick in 2021)
Telangana (rise post-2019, drop post-2020)

4. Observations & Key Takeaways

Southern States, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka, are witnessing a rapid decline in birth and fertility rates.
Northern and eastern States like Bihar, UP, and Rajasthan are seeing higher fertility and slower decline in birth rates.
Urbanization, female literacy, and access to healthcare are major contributors to declining fertility in southern and western India.
Uttarakhand is the only State showing an increase in birth rate.
Despite low TFR, some States (like West Bengal) are seeing rising registered births, likely due to better reporting or population momentum.

Relevance for Government Exams

Important for GS Paper-I (Indian Society, Population)
Useful in Essays and Mains answers: Population control, Health, Demographics
Facts to remember:

India’s TFR: 2.0
Fastest CBR decline: Tamil Nadu (2.35%)
Highest TFR: Bihar (3.0)
Lowest TFR: West Bengal (1.4)