From black to grey: on the Sample Registration System – Statistical Report, 2024

India needs to prepare for a future with an ageing (वृद्ध होता हुआ, उम्रदराज़) population

If India wanted proof of its shifting (changing, altering) demographic (जनसांख्यिकीय, जनसंख्या-संबंधी) status, then the latest SRS bulletin (official communication, press release, report, statement), 2024 has provided just that. The figures (आँकड़ा, संख्या) from the Sample Registration System (नमूना पंजीकरण प्रणाली) – Statistical Report, 2024, offer incontrovertible (निर्विवाद, असंदिग्ध) proof — falling (घटता हुआ, गिरता हुआ) fertility rate, low crude birth rate (सकल जन्म दर) — to show that India’s pace (गति, दर) of population growth is considerably (काफी हद तक, उल्लेखनीय रूप से) slowing down (धीमा पड़ना, गति कम करना). While the pundits (expert, authority, specialist, intellectual) predict at least three decades (दशक) of population growth for the country, the plunging (तेजी से गिरता हुआ) fertility rate certainly (निश्चित रूप से, अवश्य) commands (require, demand, necessitate, entail) pause (विराम, ठहराव) for contemplation (चिंतन, विचार-विमर्श) and forward planning (the process of making plans to account for the future; advance planning, preparation, strategizing), for India to crest (surmount, overcome, get to the top of, rise above) a crisis that several nations are struggling to manage. India’s Total Fertility Rate has dropped (decrease, reduce, fall, decline) to 1.9, lower than the replacement (substitution, exchange; the fertility level at which a population exactly replaces itself from one generation to the next) level of 2.1, aided (help, assist, support, facilitate), in large (mostly, mainly, largely, for the most part), by a falling birth rate (the number of live births per thousand of population per year; fertility rate). As per the latest SRS data, India’s birth rate fell from 21 in 2014 to 18.3 in 2024; while death rate marginally (slightly, somewhat, faintly, minimally) went down from 6.7 to 6.4. The country is well (considerably, very much, significantly, fully) on its way from population ‘explosion (rapid increase, sudden growth, boom, escalation)’ to one of ageing population and shrinking (reducing, decreasing, diminishing, declining) workforce (workers, employees, human resources, labour force) expansion (growth, increase, enlargement, development). India might still reap (get, receive, obtain, gain) its demographic dividend (benefit, advantage, reward, gain) — the median age (the age that divides a population into two numerically equal groups, with half the people being younger and half older) in India is 29.2 years, in stark contrast (completely distinct, completely different, unalike) to China (median age of 40.2), and several other European nations. In 2026, India has approximately 370 to 380 million youth, aged 15-29 years, representing roughly (approximately, about, around, closely) 27% of the country’s population. Estimates also put India’s below 35 years population at over 65% of the total, making it one of the world’s youngest cohorts (group, category, generation, section).

In demographic terms (regarding the statistical study and structure of human populations), falling birth rate reflects (indicate, show, display, demonstrate) a decline in fertility (reproductive capability, ability to have children, reproduction), linked to factors such as urbanisation, better education, access (availability, approach, means of entry, connection) to contraception (birth control, family planning; methods used to prevent pregnancy), and the desire for smaller families. India’s high life expectancy (an estimate of the average number of additional years that a person of a given age can expect to live) at birth (72 years) and dipping (dropping, falling, decreasing, declining) death rate offer the other side of the transition paradigm (a theoretical framework or model outlining the shift of a population from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates), implying (suggest, hint, point to, indicate) better access to health care (medical services, medical treatment, wellness program, health protection). India needs to reassess (re-evaluate, review, reconsider, re-examine) the path ahead (the course of action for the future; future direction, way forward) and pivot to (turn to, shift to, switch to, orient toward) prepare for the needs of a future greying (ageing, becoming older, maturing) nation, when the demographic dividend (it is defined as a boost in economic productivity that occurs when there are growing numbers of people in the workforce relative to the number of dependents (or) it is the accelerated development that can arise when a population has a relatively large proportion of working-age people coupled with effective human capital investment) disappears (vanish, fade away, evaporate, melt away). The SRS data, however (nevertheless, nonetheless, yet, but), flags (indicate, identify, point out, highlight) a more immediate concern (issue, worry, problem, apprehension) too — one of vast (huge, massive, extensive, broad) regional and rural/urban disparities (imbalance, inequality, unevenness, disproportion). Overall, performance in rural areas is not on a par with (comparable with, equivalent to, as equal to, on a level with) the urban centres, and the southern States continue to stay ahead (maintain a lead, keep in front, outpace, surpass) of the northern States. Overall, child survival (the survival probability of children, focused on preventing early childhood mortality) improvements are real (the Infant Mortality Rate (the number of infant deaths (children under one year of age) for every 1,000 live births in a population during a specified period) has fallen to 24) but high-burden (relating to areas or states bearing a heavy load or high prevalence of a specific issue) States in the north are still at a much higher IMR. States and areas that lag (fall behind, trail behind, linger, straggle) will need targeted (specific, exact, precise, focused) interventions (involvement, interference, measure, action taken to improve a situation), whether it is access to health care, awareness (understanding, knowledge, realization, recognition) or education facilities (establishment, institution, centre, premises) to effect (achieve, accomplish, bring about, carry out) a national convergence (coming together, union, junction, merging).

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.ageing (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - वृद्ध होता हुआ, उम्रदराज़
English Meaning - becoming older; greying, growing old, maturing.

2.demographic (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - जनसांख्यिकीय, जनसंख्या-संबंधी
English Meaning - relating to the statistical study/structure of populations, especially human beings.

3.figure (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आँकड़ा, संख्या
English Meaning - statistics, data, numbers, records.

4.Sample Registration System (SRS)

Hindi Meaning - नमूना पंजीकरण प्रणाली
English Meaning - Statistical Report, 2024 (proper noun) - an official publication based on a large-scale demographic sample survey in India for providing reliable estimates of vital rates such as infant mortality, birth, and death rates at national and state levels.

5.incontrovertible (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - निर्विवाद, असंदिग्ध
English Meaning - indisputable, undeniable, unquestionable, unarguable.

6.falling (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - घटता हुआ, गिरता हुआ
English Meaning - decreasing, dropping, declining, diminishing.

7.crude birth rate (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सकल जन्म दर
English Meaning - the total number of live births per 1,000 population in a specific year and region.

8.pace (noun)

Hindi Meaning - गति, दर
English Meaning - rate.

9.considerably (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - काफी हद तक, उल्लेखनीय रूप से
English Meaning - significantly, substantially, largely, very much.

10.slow down (phrasal verb)

Hindi Meaning - धीमा पड़ना, गति कम करना
English Meaning - reduce speed, decelerate, lessen, drop.

11.decade (noun)

Hindi Meaning - दशक
English Meaning - a period of ten years.

12.plunging (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - तेजी से गिरता हुआ
English Meaning - decreasing rapidly, declining sharply, falling sharply, plummeting, dropping.

13.certainly (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - निश्चित रूप से, अवश्य
English Meaning - surely, definitely, undeniably, undoubtedly.

14.pause (noun)

Hindi Meaning - विराम, ठहराव
English Meaning - break, halt, brief stop, interruption.

15.contemplation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - चिंतन, विचार-विमर्श
English Meaning - thought, reflection, consideration, deliberation.

16.shifting (adjective)

English Meaning - changing, altering.

17.fertility rate (noun)

English Meaning - the average number of children born to a woman over her lifetime; birth rate, reproductive rate.

18.command (verb)

English Meaning - require, demand, necessitate, entail.

19.from black to grey (phrase)

English Meaning - a process of becoming older; ageing, growing old, maturing.

20.bulletin (noun)

English Meaning - official communication, press release, report, statement.

21.pundit (noun)

English Meaning - expert, authority, specialist, intellectual.

22.forward planning (noun)

English Meaning - the process of making plans to account for the future; advance planning, preparation, strategizing.

23.crest (verb)

English Meaning - surmount, overcome, get to the top of, rise above.

24.drop (verb)

English Meaning - decrease, reduce, fall, decline.

25.replacement (noun)

English Meaning - substitution, exchange; the fertility level at which a population exactly replaces itself from one generation to the next.

26.aid (verb)

English Meaning - help, assist, support, facilitate.

27.in large (phrase)

English Meaning - mostly, mainly, largely, for the most part.

28.birth rate (noun)

English Meaning - the number of live births per thousand of population per year; fertility rate.

29.fall (verb)

English Meaning - decrease, decline, drop, sink.

30.marginally (adverb)

English Meaning - slightly, somewhat, faintly, minimally.

31.go down (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - decrease, drop, fall, decline.

32.well (adverb)

English Meaning - considerably, very much, significantly, fully.

33.on one’s way (phrase)

English Meaning - on course, moving forward, progressing, advancing.

34.explosion (noun)

English Meaning - rapid increase, sudden growth, boom, escalation.

35.shrinking (adjective)

English Meaning - reducing, decreasing, diminishing, declining.

36.workforce (noun)

English Meaning - workers, employees, human resources, labour force.

37.expansion (noun)

English Meaning - growth, increase, enlargement, development.

38.reap (verb)

English Meaning - get, receive, obtain, gain.

39.dividend (noun)

English Meaning - benefit, advantage, reward, gain.

40.median age (noun)

English Meaning - the age that divides a population into two numerically equal groups, with half the people being younger and half older.

41.in stark contrast (phrase)

English Meaning - completely distinct, completely different, unalike.

42.median (adjective)

English Meaning - mean, middle, average, midpoint.

43.roughly (adverb)

English Meaning - approximately, about, around, closely.

44.cohort (noun)

English Meaning - group, category, generation, section.

45.in demographic terms (phrase)

English Meaning - regarding the statistical study and structure of human populations.

46.reflect (verb)

English Meaning - indicate, show, display, demonstrate.

47.fertility (noun)

English Meaning - reproductive capability, ability to have children, reproduction.

48.access (noun)

English Meaning - availability, approach, means of entry, connection.

49.contraception (noun)

English Meaning - birth control, family planning; methods used to prevent pregnancy.

50.life expectancy (noun)

English Meaning - an estimate of the average number of additional years that a person of a given age can expect to live.

51.dipping (adjective)

English Meaning - dropping, falling, decreasing, declining.

52.transition paradigm (noun)

English Meaning - a theoretical framework or model outlining the shift of a population from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates.

53.paradigm (noun)

English Meaning - a typical example or pattern/model of something; model, pattern, standard, framework.

54.imply (verb)

English Meaning - suggest, hint, point to, indicate.

55.health care (noun)

English Meaning - medical services, medical treatment, wellness program, health protection.

56.reassess (verb)

English Meaning - re-evaluate, review, reconsider, re-examine.

57.path ahead (phrase)

English Meaning - the course of action for the future; future direction, way forward.

58.pivot to (verb)

English Meaning - turn to, shift to, switch to, orient toward.

59.greying (adjective)

English Meaning - ageing, becoming older, maturing.

60.demographic dividend (noun)

English Meaning - it is defined as a boost in economic productivity that occurs when there are growing numbers of people in the workforce relative to the number of dependents (or) it is the accelerated development that can arise when a population has a relatively large proportion of working-age people coupled with effective human capital investment.

61.disappear (verb)

English Meaning - vanish, fade away, evaporate, melt away.

62.however (adverb)

English Meaning - nevertheless, nonetheless, yet, but.

63.flag (verb)

English Meaning - indicate, identify, point out, highlight.

64.concern (noun)

English Meaning - issue, worry, problem, apprehension.

65.vast (adjective)

English Meaning - huge, massive, extensive, broad.

66.disparity (noun)

English Meaning - imbalance, inequality, unevenness, disproportion.

67.on a par with (phrase)

English Meaning - comparable with, equivalent to, as equal to, on a level with.

68.stay ahead (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - maintain a lead, keep in front, outpace, surpass.

69.child survival (noun)

English Meaning - the survival probability of children, focused on preventing early childhood mortality.

70.Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) (proper noun)

English Meaning - the number of infant deaths (children under one year of age) for every 1,000 live births in a population during a specified period.

71.high-burden (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to areas or states bearing a heavy load or high prevalence of a specific issue.

72.lag (verb)

English Meaning - fall behind, trail behind, linger, straggle.

73.targeted (adjective)

English Meaning - specific, exact, precise, focused.

74.intervention (noun)

English Meaning - involvement, interference, measure, action taken to improve a situation.

75.awareness (noun)

English Meaning - understanding, knowledge, realization, recognition.

76.facility (noun)

English Meaning - establishment, institution, centre, premises.

77.effect (verb)

English Meaning - achieve, accomplish, bring about, carry out.

78.convergence (noun)

English Meaning - coming together, union, junction, merging.

From black to grey: on the Sample Registration System – Statistical Report, 2024