Context:
The National Family Health Survey-6 (NFHS-6) has recorded India’s lowest Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands at 0.9, far below the replacement level of 2.1.

Explanation:
- The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) is a large-scale, multi-round survey conducted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to collect data on population, health and nutrition indicators.
- Total Fertility Rate (TFR) is the average number of children a woman is expected to bear during her reproductive years.
- A TFR of 2.1 is known as the replacement level fertility, required to maintain a stable population size in the long run.
- A TFR below replacement level leads to population ageing, a shrinking workforce and long-term population decline.
- Andaman and Nicobar’s TFR declined from 1.4 (NFHS-4) to 1.3 (NFHS-5) and 0.9 (NFHS-6).
- The share of children below five years declined from 5.3% to 3.7%, while the population aged 60 years and above increased from 11% to 12.6%.
- Key factors include smaller family preference, wider access to family planning, higher female literacy, education and economic independence.
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