Why India needs a seriously tightened population policy to reduce poverty

India has been unable to address population growth meaningfully which has prevented it from reaching global average for decline in extreme poverty

Last month, I discussed China’s control of population growth rate that enabled it to dive below India — from the late 1960s — with a concomittant increase over India in its per capita GDP growth. Those differences continued, taking China to newer heights surpassing India during the following decades in all economic and socio-economic indicators (though not, of course, human rights, a matter I have occasionally addressed earlier).

Today’s Figure 1 asks to view GDP growth rate over population growth rate— GDP per capita in a different light — and examines its behaviour. In a fashion, this variable reflects the