There is an increasing attention on India's population and its changing age structure in recent times with its long-term implications for every facets of life. Considering the sheer volume of the country's population size, the demographic changes in India will have a unique role in altering the global population scenarios. With the global community and national governments being deeply committed and enthusiastically engaged in the achievement of Sustainable Developments Goals (SDGs), India's demographic and health changes become critically significant.

Undoubtedly, the major demographic processes in India are experiencing extraordinary changes: fertility reaching at replacement level, life expectancy climbing up significantly, rapid changes in the health and epidemiological transitions, and a faster urbanization with new flows of migration. Along with structural changes, India is also witnessing a dramatic rise in its middle class and its fast-changing aspirations. All these ongoing transitions have considerable socio-economic and political repercussions. In this context, India Population Report would be an important resource for researchers and policymakers to understand (a) the contemporary scenarios of the Indian population, (b) the different challenges posed by geographically and socio-economically heterogeneous fertility, mortality, and health transitions, and migration flows, and (c) the opportunities from the point of view of the well-being of all.

The International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai, is the leading training and research institution for Demography and Population Studies in Asia. Over the years, IIPS has undertaken landmark surveys and significant research on population, health, fertility, mortality, nutrition, ageing, and migration, and on women and children. Given this background, it was felt that IIPS should bring out a population report on India at regular intervals, deliberating current scenarios and future implications. This volume is the first attempt in that series of publications contemplated.

The volume is an outcome of the recent studies undertaken by a large number of scholars with deep understanding of India's demographic and health sectors. By making use of the latest available scientific evidences, the chapters in the volume illustrate the implications ahead for India in meeting the inevitable population and health challenges in the coming decades.

We are grateful to all the authors for their interest and contributions. We also acknowledge the meticulous efforts of Cambridge University Press, particularly Anwesha Rana and Priyanka Das, for their help in bringing out this volume.