Name the state in India where population growth is below the replacement level.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Kerala
Note: The given answer is as per the official NTA Answer Key. However, Option (4) can also be considered correct, as explained below.
Option (1) Karnataka — Incorrect. The states that the chapter places below the replacement level are Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, and Kerala. Karnataka is not among them, and the chapter gives no fertility rate for Karnataka.
Option (2) Maharashtra — Incorrect. Maharashtra too is not among the states that the chapter places below the replacement level, and the chapter gives no fertility rate for Maharashtra.
Option (3) Kerala — Correct as per NTA. The replacement level is the rate of growth needed for new generations just to replace the older ones that are dying out. Kerala’s TFR is below the replacement level, which means that its population is going to decline in future.
Option (4) Himachal Pradesh — Can also be considered correct. Himachal Pradesh is one of the states that have brought down their total fertility rate (TFR) to 1.7 (2016). This means that the average woman there has only 1.7 children, which is below the replacement level, just as in Kerala.
NCERT (2025-26): “2.2 Size and Growth of India’s Population … There are very wide variations in fertility rates across the States of India, as can be seen in Chart 1 (on page no. 13). Some states, like Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal have managed to bring down their total fertility rates (TFR) to 1.7 each (2016). This means that the average woman in these states produces only 1.7 children, which is below the ‘replacement level’ and Kerala’s TFR is also below the replacement level, which means that the population is going to decline in future.…” |