Busting India’s Demographic Myths

Grand Tamasha

There is hardly a day that goes by when the subject of India’s demographics is not front and center in the news.

Whether it is India surpassing China as the world’s most populous country, questions about how the Indian economy can provide enough jobs for a growing workforce, or how population should be used to allocate everything from legislative seats to fiscal transfers, demographics are at the heart of many debates surrounding India’s political economy.

To talk about India’s demographics and its demographic transition, Milan is joined on the show this week by Poonam Muttreja, who serves as the Executive Director of the Population Foundation of India.

For over 40 years, she has been a strong advocate for women’s health, reproductive and sexual rights, and rural livelihoods. Before joining PFI, she served as the India Country Director of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for 15 years.

Poonam and Milan discuss the myths of overpopulation, India’s fertility decline, and conspiracy theories around India’s changing religious demographics. Plus, the two discuss male participation in family planning and what government should (and should not) do to manage India’s demographics.

Episode notes:

1. Poonam Muttreja and Martand Kaushik, “Dispelling population myths triggered by a working paper,” Hindu, May 30, 2024.

2. Sanghamitra Singh, “We're worried about population explosion. So let's talk brass tacks,” Hindustan Times, July 27, 2023.

3. Zubeda Hamid, “Education remains the most effective contraceptive: experts,” Hindu, July 5, 2024.

4. Poonam Muttreja, “Centering women and marginalized communities in India’s population policy,” Times of India, July 17, 2024.

5. Poonam Muttreja, Sanghamitra Singh, and Martand Kaushik, “Busting myths about India’s population growth,” IDR, August 14, 2024.

6. Nirmala Buch, “Reservation for Women in Panchayats: A Sop in Disguise?” Economic and Political Weekly 44, no. 40 (October 3, 2009): 8–10.