Fertility Transition in Districts of India: Evidence from District Level Household and Facility Survey 2007-08

This paper applies a new approach to measure and monitor fertility transition at the district level in India. Fertility transition in the districts of India has been measured on the basis of a fertility transition index that takes into consideration the two dimensions of fertility transition - the dimension of birth planning and the dimension of birth limitation. Application of FTI to the data available from the Districts Level Household and Facility Survey 2007-08 suggests that India and its most of the States, Union Territories and districts continue to be in the middle stage of fertility transition. The paper emphasises the need of reinvigorating family planning efforts in te country and suggests that the fertility transition index developed in the paper may be used for evidene-based planning and programming for family plannng activities and for monitoring the implementation of these activities at district and below district level.