India's annual population growth is expected to gradually decelerate from 1.6 per in the five years ending in 2006 to 0.9 per cent in the five years ending in 2026.

This is according to the Technical Group on Population Projections constituted by the National Commission on Population in May 2006, and stated in the Economic Survey 2006-07.

Finance Minsiter P Chidambaram presented the Economic Survey in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

India's population which is estimated to have gone up from the Census 2001 figure of 1029 million to 1112 million in 2006 is projected to increase to 1400 million by 2026. The well-known `demographic dividend' will manifest in the proportion of population in the working age group of 15-64 years increasing steadily from 62.9 per cent in 2006 to 68.4 per cent in 2026.

With the high proportion of the population in the reproductive age group, the total population will continue to grow for another 25-35 years before stabilizing around 2045.

The Economic Survey 2006-07 calls for population stabilization by addressing issues of child survival, safe motherhood and contraception. It points out that wide inter-State, male-female and rural-urban disparities in outcomes and impact continue to persist. Inadequacies in existing health infrastructure have led to gaps in coverage and outreach services in rural areas.

The Survey says that India's position on health parameters compared even to some of its neighbours continues to be unsatisfactory. India compares poorly not only with China and Sri Lanka but also Bangladesh and Nepal with respect to some indicators.

It also points out that as per empirical studies the overall quality of the state administration, education and income are often more important than specific public health interventions in explaining the differences in demographic and health indicators.

• Economic Survey 2006-07: Complete Coverage