India's population at crossroads, not a crisis: Population Foundation of India

AN NGO, Population Foundation of India, has urged a shift away from fear-driven debates on overpopulation or fertility decline, calling instead for policies that centre on dignity, rights, and opportunities, particularly for women, youth, and the elderly.

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The NGO, in a statement on World Population Day 2025 on Friday, asserted that India's population challenges are not about numbers but about justice, equity, and investment in human potential.

“India's population story is not a crisis, it's a crossroads,” Poonam Muttreja, Executive Director of the Population Foundation of India, said during a function marking the occasion.

World Population Day is being observed under the global theme: empowering young people to create the families they want in a fair and hopeful world’.

The NGO asserted that India's population challenges are not about numbers but about justice, equity, and investment in human potential.

"We must stop oscillating between fears of ‘overpopulation’ and ‘population collapse,’ and instead focus on what really matters, gender equality, reproductive autonomy, and inclusive public investment," she added.