Daily Passage Test for CLAT - Aug 15 MCQs & solutions Free

Key Highlights of the UNFPA Report 2025 Related to India Population Size and Projections: India’s population in April 2025 is estimated at 146.39 crore, the highest in the world. It is expected to peak at 170 crore in the early 2060s, then gradually decline. Hence statement I is correct.
India’s Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has dropped to 1.9, below the replacement level of 2.1. As per Sample Registration System (SRS) 2021, TFR was 2.0, showing national-level achievement. However, states like Bihar (3.0), Meghalaya (2.9), and Uttar Pradesh (2.7) still have high TFRs. 31 States/UTs are below replacement level, with urban-rural gaps in 7 states. Hence Statement is correct.

India’s population in April 2025 is estimated at 146.39 crore, the highest in the world. It is expected to peak at 170 crore in the early 2060s, then gradually decline. Life expectancy is projected at 71 years for men and 74 years for women.

UNFPA is a subsidiary body of the UN General Assembly and serves as the UN’s key agency for sexual and reproductive health. It operates in over 150 countries, covering 80% of the global population. The headquarters of UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) is located in New York City, United States.

Establishment: Started in 1969 as the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, renamed in 1987 as United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA acronym retained). Guided by the ICPD Programme of Action (1994, Cairo) and the 2019 Nairobi Statement, focusing on women’s empowerment and reproductive rights. Hence statement I is correct.
UNFPA aims to ensure every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.
It supports SDGs, particularly SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 4 (Quality Education), and SDG 5 (Gender Equality). UNFPA’s 3 transformative goals by 2030 are: achieving zero unmet need for family planning, zero preventable maternal deaths, and zero gender-based violence and harmful practices such as child marriage and female genital mutilation. Gender Equality is mentioned in SDG 5 not SDG 6. Hence, Statement II is incorrect.

The passage emphasizes that the "real fertility crisis” is not about overpopulation or underpopulation but about individuals’ inability to achieve their reproductive goals due to barriers such as financial limitations and lack of reproductive agency. The report highlights that 36% of adult Indians face unintended pregnancies and 30% have unfulfilled desires regarding family size, with reproductive autonomy being a key issue. While the high adolescent fertility rate (14.1 per 1,000 women aged 15-19) is mentioned, it is not presented as the sole cause but as one of the factors affecting maternal and child health and other outcomes. Therefore, the primary cause inferred is the lack of reproductive agency.

Statement I is incorrect: UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. Its mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.
Statement II and III are correct: UNFPA partners with governments, other agencies and civil society to advance its mission. It also focuses on improving the lives of youths and women by advocating for human rights and gender equality and by promoting the understanding of population dynamics.