Top trends driving India’s IVF industry in 2026

A shift is underway in the way Indian couples, living in both urban and rural areas, perceive fertility. As more young women join the workforce, marry late and postpone having children, stress and other lifestyle-related medical conditions like PCOS, endometriosis, fibroids, etc., are pushing India’s infertility rate higher each year.

These factors have led In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) to become a lifesaving force for many couples. The IVF industry is moving away from the niche space it has occupied in the past to the mainstream limelight in 2026, driven by increasing demand, technological advancements and precision in diagnostics, a skilled community of embryologists and data-driven, personalised fertility care.

Here are the top trends driving IVF in 2026:

India’s Increasing Infertility Rate

Our national infertility rate at present is around 13% with around 27.5 million Indian couples coping with infertility issues. As of 2025, India’s Total Fertility Rate (TFR) fell to 1.9 births per woman, well below the replacement level of 2.1. Changing lifestyles, increasing education and employment of both rural and urban women, awareness about contraception and fertility treatments as well as pollution and related health concerns in men too, will continue to push up infertility rates in the years to come. All these factors will contribute to the projected growth of the IVF from $900 million in 2024 to $1.87 billion by 2029. Additionally, annual IVF cycles are expected to rise from 200,000–250,000 today to nearly 400,000 by 2030, including a growing demand from smaller cities.

Tech innovations in IVF

In 2026, AI will not just power embryo selection but the entire IVF process, enabling more personalised, data-driven treatments. From next-generation embryo culture systems like time lapse incubators that capture embryo development every five minutes, to advancements in molecular diagnostics and automated vitrification where a machine takes care of the most delicate steps of the embryo freezing process, IVF experts will combine their knowledge and skill with the precision and data collated and analysed by these technologies to offer couples higher success rates of full-term, healthy pregnancies across centres.  

Global Collaborations

National and international collaborations between Indian IVF organisations and global fertility centres, equipment manufacturers, and research institutions will further expand this year strengthening India’s IVF sector. Indian clinics that adopt a collaborative approach and upgrade their services offering advanced lab technologies, standardised protocols, evidence-based treatment, clinical best practices and R&D-led innovation, will be more likely to improve success rates and patient outcomes. Further, strong adherence to ethical practices, data privacy, and ART regulations will differentiate quality providers.

Wider Access Beyond Metros

While IVF has shown steady grown over the years in metropolitan cities, the next phase of growth is expected to come from Tier II/III cities like Haldwani, Jamnagar, Meerut, Amritsar and Prayagraj etc. Greater affordability (IVF treatment costs are 25-30% lower here than in metro cities), increasing awareness about fertility treatments, fading taboos about seeking medical intervention for conception and financial literacy are some of the factors bridging the urban-rural gap in IVF, integrating fertility care more seamlessly into rural reproductive health services.

Insurance

IVF treatments in India are expensive, with each cycle typically costing between Rs 1-3 lakh. Though couples seeking infertility treatment have private insurance policies to cover their costs, wider insurance coverage by the government that reduces the financial burden on couples living in rural areas, will emerge as a critical enabler of access and growth of the IVF sector. At present, nearly 90 per cent of couples undergoing IVF currently face ‘catastrophic’ expenses due to multiple treatment cycles, and limited insurance support for assisted reproductive technologies.

Surrogacy and Egg Freezing

In 2026, India is seeing distinct inroads being made in both surrogacy and egg freezing as working women reclaim the right to decide if and when they want to have kids. We will see more IVF treatments being considered for surrogate pregnancies, especially by DINK (Double Income No Kids) couples. In addition, egg freezing is also gaining mainstream acceptance as a fertility-planned choice, especially among urban and career-focused women. Expanded services in public hospitals are widening access and social awareness is driving the uptake of fertility preservation.

In 2026 and beyond, access, ethical innovation, patient-centric care and quality governance will shape the next phase of evolution of the IVF industry. As fertility care becomes an integral part of India’s healthcare ecosystem, the collective focus will be on delivering outcomes that are consistent, transparent and deeply human.

A.R. Ghatak, Sr. Vice President, IVF Division, Hanahealth by DSS