Population Policy through 5 Year Plans and India’s Population Trend

Five Year Plan 

Population Policy 

First Five Year Plan (1951-1956) 

Initiation of Family Planning Program in 1952 to promote the use of contraceptives and reduce the birth rate. 

Second Five Year Plan (1956-1961) 

Consolidation of Family Planning Program with an aim to achieve a crude birth rate of 25 per thousand by the end of the plan period. 

Third Five Year Plan (1961-1966) 

Strengthening of the Family Planning Program with a focus on maternal and child health services. 

Fourth Five Year Plan (1969-1974) 

Introduction of sterilization as a family planning method, along with strengthening of maternal and child health services. 

Fifth Five Year Plan (1974-1979) 

Expansion of Family Planning Program to rural areas with an aim to achieve a crude birth rate of 30 per thousand by the end of the plan period. 

Sixth Five Year Plan (1980-1985) 

Implementation of the National Population Policy of 1976, which emphasized the need to control the population growth rate through family planning and reproductive health measures. 

Seventh Five Year Plan (1985-1990) 

Continued implementation of the National Population Policy, along with a focus on improving the status of women through education and empowerment. 

Eighth Five Year Plan (1992-1997) 

Adoption of a multi-sectoral approach to population control, with a focus on improving the status of women and providing universal access to basic healthcare services. 

Ninth Five Year Plan (1997-2002) 

Introduction of the National Population Policy of 2000, which aimed to reduce the population growth rate to 1.5% by 2010 through promoting family planning, reproductive health services, and improving female literacy. 

Tenth Five Year Plan (2002-2007) 

Continued implementation of the National Population Policy, along with a focus on improving the health status of vulnerable populations, including women, children, and the elderly. 

Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-2012) 

Implementation of the Janani Suraksha Yojana and other safe motherhood interventions, along with a focus on improving access to quality healthcare services, including family planning and reproductive health. 

Twelfth Five Year Plan (2012-2017) 

Implementation of the National Urban Health Mission and other initiatives to improve the health status of urban populations, along with a focus on achieving sustainable development goals. 

Period 

Population Growth 

Details 

1891-1921 

Slow and stable 

Growth was very slow and almost stable. Negative growth was witnessed during 1891-1901 and 1911-1921 due to famines. 

1921-1951 

Fast growth 

Population growth rate increased to 1.22% per year, and the population increased by 10.96 crores. 

1951-1981 

Population explosion 

Population growth rate reached 2.2% by 1981 with an average annual growth rate of 2.15%. 

Post-1981 

Gradual slowing down 

Population growth rate has been falling, but the population has still been growing. The sharpest decline was registered from 2001 to 2011 since Independence.