Fertility rate on the wane in State

Proportion of child population falls below nine per cent in four dists

The decrease is 2.36 percen­tage points in case of boys and 2.38 in respect of girls. According to Provisional Population Totals, Karnataka, Paper -1 of 2011, published by the Directorate of Census Operations on Thursday, Yadgir district has the highest child population (0-6) at 15.83 per cent. The least child population is recorded in Udupi (8.54 per cent).

The document is the first among several papers to be published by the Census Directorate this year. Compilation of data on child population in the age group 0-6 is primarily intended for calculating the literacy rate. But it also facilitates demographers to broadly analyse its possible linkages with population growth. According to the document, the proportion of child population (0-6) is above the State average of 11.21 percent in only 12 districts of the State indicating that several districts are showing decline in fertility rates. 

For the first time, proportion of child population has fallen below nine per cent in four districts -  Udupi (8.54), Chikmagalur (8.86), Mandya (8.96) and Hassan (8.76). Yadgir district has registered highest proportion of 15.83 percentage.

Replacement fertility

Population experts point out that the decline in child proportion rate could be the fallout of many districts in the State having reached replacement fertility in 2006. Replacement fertility implies each couple having only two children (exactly replacing themselves over time).