Mapping Demography and Health in Ten Low Fertility Districts of India

Sanjay Kumar Mohanty, Harvard University

The objective of this paper is to map the demographic and health situation of ten low fertility districts of India and tests the hypothesize that the prevalence of five disability (hearing, speech, seeing, mental retardation and mental illness) in these districts are higher than national average.We focus on district because one-fifth of the 640 districts are at below replacement level of fertility and the national and state average conceals large variations across districts. Ten low fertility districts were selected and census data is used. Results suggest similar demographic characteristics of these districts to developed nations;share of elderly population was more than double of national average, TFR of 1.3 children and potential support ratio of less than 4. Disability and multiple disability is high in districts that had consistently low fertility over two decades. The age pattern of disability suggests a clear link of age-structural transition and detoriating health in the population.