Thanks to Indian men's reluctance to use contraceptives, population surges

Condoms are a better option than other oral-contraceptive methods, but Indian men are not buying it

Over eight years to 2016, as India’s population surged, the use of contraceptives declined almost 35%, as abortions and consumption of emergency pills–both with health hazards and side effects–doubled, according to health ministry data.

Despite a 14% percentage-point rise in national literacy over a decade to 2011, hazardous birth-control measures of the last resort, emergency birth-control medication and abortions, are becoming the first choice among both poorer and wealthier, better-educated Indians. The result is that India’s population, now estimated at 1.32 billion, is expected to surpass China’s within the next six